The remains of a major defensive wall have been uncovered in China’s Hunan province.

Xinhua revealed that the wall, which “resembles the Great Wall” according to reports, stretches for 18.4km in Yuanling county, west of the provincial capital, Changsha. It is located approximately 1,500km south of the original Great Wall.

The Hunan wall is believed to have been built approximately 550 years ago during the Ming dynasty; archaeologists also found evidence of military camps and tombs near the walls.

“The walls were built for defensive purposes in the Ming dynasty. The ruins are one of the largest military sites in Hunan,” said Yang Zhiyong, an associate research fellow at the museum in Huaihua, the nearest major city.

The actual Great Wall of China dates back as far as the 7th Century BC, but construction was revived under the Ming dynasty.