Introduction: A Wall against the Wasteland
PART ONE: Builders and Barbarians
Midwife to Civilization: Wall Builders at the Dawn of History
THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST, 2500–500 BC
GREECE, 600–338 BC
CHINA, 214 BC
Wallers and Warriors: Life outside the Walls
EURASIA, 2000 BC–AD 1800
PART TWO: The Great Age of Walls
Prologue to the Great Age of Walls: Alexander’s Gates
TIMELESS FOLKLORE
CHINA AND CENTRAL ASIA, C. 100 BC
THE ROMAN EMPIRE, AD 117–38
THE ROMAN EMPIRE, C. AD 300
THE ROMAN AND BYZANTINE EMPIRES, AD 400–600
CHINA, AD 280–1600
WESTERN AND CENTRAL ASIA, AD 500–1300
PART THREE: The World in Transition
CONSTANTINOPLE, AD 1453
IRELAND, SCOTLAND, AND THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE, AD 1494–C. 1800
SOUTH, CENTRAL, AND NORTH AMERICA, PREHISTORY–AD 1800
CHINA AND FRANCE, 1933–40
“A Hell of a Lot Better Than a War”
BERLIN, 1961–89
Epilogue: “Love Your Neighbor, but Don’t Pull Down Your Hedge”
EARTH, 1990–PRESENT