Nan Madol

Nan Madol is an archaeological site of nearly a hundred artificial islets built in a lagoon off the eastern shore of Pohnpei, in the Federated States of Micronesia, within an area of roughly 1.5 by 0.5 kilometers. The islets were built up from stone and coral fill bordered by tidal canals and framed with massive columnar basalt stones, quarried from a volcanic plug elsewhere on the island; human activity at the site dates back to around the first or second century AD, but the large-scale megalithic construction began around 1180 to 1200 AD. Nan Madol served as the ceremonial and political capital of the Saudeleur dynasty, which united Pohnpei's roughly 25,000 people until about 1628, functioning as both a noble residence and a mortuary center from which rulers could watch potential rivals. The site was abandoned around 1628, after the Saudeleur dynasty fell to the invader Isokelekel and the Nahnmwarki era began.