Nan Madol

	Nan Madol
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	U.S. National Historic Landmark
	Nan Madol
Location	Temwen Island Federated States of Micronesia
Architect	Olosohpa; Olosihpa
Architectural style	No Style Listed
NRHP reference No.	74002226
Added to NRHP	December 19, 1974

Nan Madol is a ruined city that lies off the eastern shore of the island of Pohnpei (presently one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia) and used to be the capital of the Saudeleur dynasty until about AD 1500.^[3] The city consists of a series of small artificial islands linked by a network of canals and is often called the Venice of the Pacific. The name Nan Madol means "spaces between" and is a reference to the canals that criss-cross the ruins.

History

Nan Madol was the ceremonial and political seat of the Saudeleur dynasty, which united Pohnpei's estimated 25,000 people.^[3] Set apart on the main island of Pohnpei, it was a scene of human activity as early as the first or second century AD. By the 8th or 9th century islet construction had started, but the distinctive megalithic architecture was probably not begun until perhaps the 12th or early 13th century.

Little can be verified about the megalithic construction. Pohnpeian tradition claims that the builders of the Lelu complex on Kosrae (likewise composed of huge stone buildings) migrated to Pohnpei, where they used their skills and experience to build the even more impressive Nan Madol complex. Like Lelu, one major purpose of constructing a separate city was to insulate the nobility from the common people.

A local story holds that when Nan Madol was being built a powerful magician living in the well inhabited region on the northwest of the island was solicited, and that his help was a major factor in completing the building. In particular, he was responsible for supplying the huge stone "logs" used in much of Nan Madol by "flying" them from their source to the construction site.

Purpose and features

The elite centre was a special place of residence for the nobility and of mortuary activities presided over by priests. Its population almost certainly exceeded 1,000, and may have at one point in time doubled that number. Although many of the residents were chiefs, the majority were commoners. Nan Madol served, in part, as a means by which the ruling Saudeleur chiefs both organized and controlled potential rivals by requiring them to live in the city rather than in their home districts, where their activities were difficult to monitor.

Madol Powe, the mortuary sector, contains 58 islets in the northeastern area of Nan Madol. Most islets were once occupied by the dwellings of priests. Some islets served special purpose, like food preparation on Usennamw, canoe construction on Dapahu, and coconut oil preparation on Peinering. High walls surrounding tombs are located on Peinkitel, Karian, and Lemenkou, but the crowning achievement is the royal mortuary islet of Nandauwas, where walls of 18 to 25 feet (7.6 m) high surround a central tomb enclosure within the main courtyard.

Supposedly there was an escape tunnel beginning at the center of Nan Madol and boring down through the reef to exit into the ocean. Scuba divers continue to look for this "secret" route, but so far a complete tunnel has yet to be discovered.

Food and water

On Nan Madol there is no fresh water and no food. One must go inland to gather water and grow food. For the Saudeleurs this was no problem; since they were the supreme rulers the people brought them what they needed. When the Saudeleurs were overthrown and the period of the Nahnmwarkis began, the Nahnmwarkis lived at Nan Madol, but they had to gather their water and grow their food themselves, causing them to eventually abandon Nan Madol and move back to their own districts — although other explanations exist for the deserting of the complex, such as a sharp population decline.

Archaeology and tourism

Today Nan Madol forms an archaeological district covering more than 18 km² and includes the stone architecture built up on a coral reef flat along the shore of Temwen Island, several other artificial islets, and the adjacent Pohnpei main island coastline. The site core with its stone walls encloses an area approximately 1.5 km long by 0.5 km wide and it contains nearly 100 artificial islets - stone and coral fill platforms - bordered by tidal canals.

Carbon dating indicates that the construction of Nan Madol began around AD 1200, while excavations show that the area may have been occupied as early as 200 BC. Some probable quarry sites around the island have been identified, but the exact origin of the stones of Nan Madol is yet undetermined. None of the proposed quarry sites exist in Madolenihmw, meaning that the stones must have been transported to their current location. It has been suggested that they might have been floated via raft from the quarry, but no one has successfully demonstrated the process. Archaeologists have yet to unravel the mystery, and some modern Pohnpeians believe the stones were flown to the island by use of black magic; however, a short dive between the island and the quarries shows a trail of dropped stones.

In 1985, the ruins of Nan Madol were declared a National Historical Landmark. Currently, a greater effort is being made to preserve them. Permission for a visit is necessary and a small fee is charged.

Cultural references

Many critics believe that Nan Mandol was the basis for H. P. Lovecraft's ruined city of R'Lyeh featured in his Cthulhu Mythos stories.^[4]

The ruins of Nan Madol were used as the setting for a lost race story by A. Merritt, The Moon Pool, in which the islands are called Nan-Tauach and the ruins are called the Nan-Matal.

Some people believe Nan Madol to be connected to the lost continent of Lemuria.

Nan Madol and its history have been used as the basis of the novel Deep Fathom written by James Rollins.

Nan Madol is the name of an album by Edward Vesala.

Notes

^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23.
^ "Nan Madol". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
^ ^a ^b Nan Madol, Madolenihmw, Pohnpei William Ayres, Department of Anthropology University Of Oregon, Accessed 26th September 2007
^ http://www.cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi/story-so-far/cthulhu-project.html

External links

http://www.janeresture.com/micronesia_madol/ (with many pictures and maps)
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/nmad/hd_nmad.htm
http://www.intangible.org/Features/micronesia/text/Pon2.html
http://www.pohnpeiheaven.com/nanmadol.htm

[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23.

[nhlsum-2] "Nan Madol". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2007-06-28.

[Ayres-3] Nan Madol, Madolenihmw, Pohnpei William Ayres, Department of Anthropology University Of Oregon, Accessed 26th September 2007

[4] ttp://www.cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi/story-so-far/cthulhu-project.html

[1]

[3]

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