Thread by @FlintDibble

This #archaeology thread explains how historically, walls have never worked and are simply symbols of overcompensation and division

Even the magical wall in @GameOfThrones melted like a glacier in a warming world
/1

Sure, don’t get me wrong, walls can be important elements in a larger structure (e.g., a house), providing insulation against the natural elements or demarcating how space is used

But I’m hard pressed to find even one wall in history effective at stopping people
/2

Most walls really are overcompensating for something. Usually, they’re overcompensating for the fact that a territory is simply too large. The Great Wall of China, one of the first public works of the new Chinese empire is a good example of such ineffective overcompensation
/3

Roman walls (Hadrian’s wall, the limes, etc.) similarly overcompensated for an overlarge territory. Like the Great Wall of China, they didn’t effectively stop movement across the border by either peaceful or warlike groups.
/4

You want a more modern example?

The French pretended the Maginot line was an effective barrier against the Germans, and yet again, they were easily skirted by blitzkrieging forces
/5

Claiming the Berlin Wall effectively stopped movement out of the communist bloc is foolish. The entire border between west and east Europe wasn't walled. Internal policies stifled emigration from the bloc.

The wall was a symbol of hate, overcompensating for failed leadership
/6

The mythical Trojan war shows that it isn’t walls that matter, but rather the people who matter. Did Troy’s famous high-walls keep the Greeks out?

(this is the earliest depiction, 675BC, of the Trojan horse on the Mykonos vase, notice the little people inside!)
/7

The Athenian Long Walls, connecting Athens to its port-city at Piraeus, were overcompensating for an inferior land-based army. They didn’t save Athens from defeat at the hands of the Spartans in the Peloponnesian Wars
/8

So, what is Trump overcompensating for with his wall? I guess, we’d need @StormyDaniels to answer that one. Under oath please!

The truth is, that @SpeakerPelosi got it right, his wall is “immoral.” It’s a spiteful symbol of hate and crude power
/9

All it takes is a little effort or ingenuity to get thru, around, or under an expensive wall. Has anyone ever visited ruined medieval castles? Most have busted walls.

Show me a pristine castle, and it’s either been heavily restored, surrendered over, or it’s @Disney
/10

Just ask any archaeologist: dividing walls have not been good and are not good. As @DrKillgrove wrote: Trump’s wall will trample archaeological sites
/11
forbes.com/sites/kristina…

As @DSAArchaeology wrote: this shutdown is harming archaeologists and damaging archaeological resources:
forbes.com/sites/davidand…

I applied to NSF recently, but w/ govt shutdown nobodies reviewing applications. So, I’m harmed too, as I am on job market #shutdownstories
/12

For more example of history’s failed walls, check out this article by Adam T. Smith: washingtonpost.com/opinions/for-f…
/13

For more on the archaeology of the rhetoric and performance of wall-building, see this post by @howardmrw
howardwilliamsblog.wordpress.com/2016/11/14/the…
/14

So, listen to the lesson from archaeologists. Say no to the wall! Keep strong to stop such an immoral symbol!

And like our patron saint, make sure to fight fascism
/end

And if you want to read more threads on #archaeology, see below

https://twitter.com/FlintDibble/status/1022536750974095361?s=19

And I somehow missed this article by @prof_gabriele showing how medieval walls didn't work and mostly provided false reassurances for those living inside! (I coulda sworn I'd linked it... sorry, b/c it was one of the inspirations for my thread)
washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/0…