3540 AM · 221 BCE · world history
Qin Shi Huang and the Great Wall
China is unified for the first time, and northern fortifications are joined into one wall.
The ruler of Qin conquers six rival states and declares himself first emperor. In eleven years of rule he imposes a single script, currency, cart-axle width and law code, and divides the land into administrative commanderies. Border ramparts are joined into a continuous line, ancestor of the Great Wall. His tomb is guarded by a terracotta army.