北魏长城考辨

The Examination of the Great Wall of the Northern Wei Dynasty

北魏政权建立以后,为抵御北方游牧民族侵扰,遂效仿前代中原王朝,开始在北部边疆地区修筑长城。北魏时期修筑的长城先后有:明元皇帝拓跋嗣修建的泰常八年(423年)长城、太武皇帝拓跋焘修建的太平真君七年(446年)畿上塞围、孝文皇帝拓跋宏修建的太和年间(477~499年)六镇长城与太和长堑。以往学界对上述长城的研究存在材料使用不一致、认识相互抵牾等问题。2007~2018年,中国人民大学北方民族考古研究所先后九次对阴山以北,东至河北张家口,西达内蒙古乌拉特后旗范围内的汉魏时期长城、古城,金元时期金界壕、古城等考古遗存进行了较为详细的调查与研究。本文即在此调查材料基础上,参考近年内蒙古自治区、山西省、河北省长城资源调查发表的成果,并对历史文献作进一步辨析,从而对北魏长城的起止位置、分布走向、长度以及在北魏军事防御体系中所起的作用等问题做进一步探讨。

To date,disagreements still exist in the academic field on the starting and ending points,distributions and routings,length,military functions and other research topics of the Great Wall of the Northern Wei Dynasty.Comprehensively referring to historical writings,onsite observations and newest survey data of the Great Wall resources,this paper clarifies the following issues:the Great Wall built in the eighth year of Taichang reign period(423 AD)was to the south of the Six Garrisons of the Northern Wei Dynasty,the west end of which was in the Wuyuan Commandery of the Han Dynasty,or present-day Machi Ancient City Site of Baotou City,and it was built generally utilizing the remains of the Great Walls of the Warring-States Period and the Qin and Han Dynasties.On the routings of the'Jishang Saiwei(Capital Metropolitan Enclosing Fortification)',this paper applies the'North Route(of Pingcheng)Hypothesis',which has four sections of the wall remaining,and another section of the south wall of the Jinling Mausoleum Precinct of the Northern Wei Dynasty jointing to the north route of the'Jishang Saiwei';the south route of the Six Garrisons Great Wall and the Taihe Long Barrier,both built during Taihe reign period(477-499 AD)and separated by the Otindag Sandy Land,were built in the same construction method and formed the northernmost bulwark.All of these showed that the frontier of the Great Wall of the Northern Wei Dynasty was continually advancing northward along with the strengthening of its national power.