BEIJING, CHINA—According to a Newsweek report, an excavation near the Badaling Wall, a section of China’s Great Wall located about 50 miles northwest of Beijing, has uncovered dozens of hollowed stones that could be filled with gunpowder, sealed, and employed as grenades. The oldest sections of the Great Wall, which stretches thousands of miles across northern China and southern Mongolia, was built to protect against invasions from the north. The oldest sections of the wall date back to the seventh century B.C. Such grenades were used during the Ming Dynasty, from 1368 to 1644. These were found in an area where a warehouse for storing weapons may have stood. “It is the first time that such a weapon storehouse has been found along the Great Wall,” said archaeologist Shang Heng. Fire pits, cooking utensils, and shovels were also found at the site, he added. To read about Ming Dynasty remains that were found in a reservoir in southeastern China, go to "The Buddha of the Lake."