Why we build walls and how we use them

SALISBURY — Historian David Frye will discuss his new book, “Walls: A History of Civilization in Blood and Brick,” at Noble Horizons on Saturday, March 30, at  11 a.m.

Frye, who teaches ancient and medieval history at Eastern Connecticut State University, said in a phone interview Friday, March 15, that the book goes back to the first “historically affirmed” example of a border wall, built in ancient Sumeria about 4,000 years ago.

He said he uses the term “historically affirmed” to indicate that the remains of the wall exist along with contemporary written accounts.

The practice of building walls goes back farther than the Sumerians, he added, but there are no records to go along with the archaeological evidence.

Walls have been built for “reasons of security” against armed invaders over the centuries, and that hasn’t changed.

The invention of gunpowder, however, started a long decline in the efficacy of walls for security purposes.

Today walls are built to guard against terrorism, drug smuggling and “unwanted immigration,” he said.

The subject of a border wall is a hot topic in the current political environment. Asked if he wrote the book with that in mind, Frye said he was working on a “different but related” book prior to 2015, but the material “kept pushing me toward walls.

“I didn’t write it to try to direct policy. I never intended it to be a political book.”

That hasn’t stopped readers from treating it as such. Frye said he has received responses from “both sides” of the present political debate, and that both sides seem to feel the book supports their position.

The book has attracted attention. Frye said he had both The New York Times and The Washington Post call on the same day, and he is in discussions with a production company about creating a documentary series based on the book.