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Growing up on Pohnpei, Minako always heard the stories about the mysterious and dangerous old city that was somewhere in the jungle, though few people had actually been there. Her mother warned her not to go near the place where demons and taotaomona dwelled because nothing good would come of it and something bad might. On Pohnpei, no one seems to know who built it or when.
When we think about ancient ruins around the world we may think of the pyramids of Egypt or the Mayan cities in central America, but we do not have to travel far to see one of the greatest remains of a lost civilization in our own backyard. Nan Madol, on the island of Pohnpei, is one of the least known, least understood, yet most fascinating sites in the world. Spread over 175 acres, the array of man-made islands, buildings, temples, markets, palaces, and homes rivals anything found elsewhere. In terms of workload and materials moved, Nan Madol falls behind only the Great Wall of China and the pyramids of Egypt. The buildings are made primarily of massive stone logs weighing as much as 25 tons. The walls of the palace are 35 feet high and twelve feet thick in places. Instead of streets, the city is divided by canals, dug wide and deep enough to accommodate small boats that linked the carefully measured and constructed islands. But perhaps the most fascinating part of Nan Madol is that, while all agree that it is impressive, no one knows how it got there, or when. Glory awaits the person who unwraps the secrets of this magnificent complex.
Pohnpeians believe the city was built by a race of people who inhabited the island before the first Micronesians arrived. That would mark the habitation of the site somewhere around two to three thousand years ago. Others claim that a race of island dwellers, small in stature, darker-skinned than Pohnpeians and still inhabiting the interior of the island, must have built Nan Madol. Still others think the first Pohnpeians constructed the city some time in the last thousand years. In any case, the first recorded reference to Nan Madol was about 500 years ago. Since the city was already abandoned by that time, its construction must have considerably pre-dated that.
Archaeologists have analyzed Nan Madol against other ruins in the world to identify similarities in building methods, materials, even artwork; anything that would reveal clues to the identity of its builders. Origin theories include Pohnpeians, Chinese, Greeks, Easter Islanders, and space aliens. Building with massive stones is common throughout the world, as is the digging of canals for transportation and defense. There is little about the stone cutting techniques, for example, to pinpoint the hands that carved them. The temple reveals little about the nature of the worship once practiced there. Even the palace complex seems somewhat generic, leaving very little that is unique and might lead to an identity. From a distance the site reminds one of Venice. Did ancient Romans or Greeks build it? Some of the buildings bear a strong resemblance to those in Machu Picchu in Peru. Have the Incas been here? Once we figure out who and when, we must begin to answer why. Why did someone build a massive stone city, capable of inspiring awe and resisting
attacks, on one of the most isolated islands in the world? Everything about Nan Madol suggests it was the capital city of an ancient empire, but whose?
Today one can barely get to Nan Madol. No roads go there and only one comes close to it. By sea is better, but there are no ports or beaches at which to land. The jungle has reclaimed the city; it is almost impossible to see even by air. Slowly the canals fill with silt and the tree roots shove their way into the cracks of the stone walls. It is estimated that within a generation there may be nothing left of the city but ragged piles of stone logs, the walls dissembled, the contours of the canals vanished. Nan Madol should be saved. Someone, the United Nations, the United States, a university, the FSM, the people of Pohnpei, should take control of preserving this remarkable site.
Dr. BC Cook taught history for thirty years and is a Director and Pacific historian at Sealark Exploration (sealarkexploration.org). He currently lives in Hawaii.
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