Ancient DNA exposes the imperial mysteries that drove China to construct the Great Wall.

The Xiongnu empire dominated the Asian steppes for three centuries from 200 BC, trading goods on the Silk Road, building elaborate tombs for its dead and conquering distant lands on horseback. However, with no written records, the empire and its people have long remained in the shadows of history. Now, ancient DNA evidence and recent archaeological digs are spilling the secrets of one of the era’s most powerful political forces. Of the individual graves studied, the ones with the highest status belonged to women, suggesting that they played a particularly powerful role in Xiongnu society. Elaborate coffins featured golden sun and moon emblems that were Xiongnu symbols of power, and one tomb contained the remains of six horses and a chariot.