Micronesia capital island2/2/2024 The scale and superiority of its stone architecture, its artificial islet construction, and the modification of the shoreline contribute to the significance of the site. The entire complex is a fitting tribute to the sophisticated methods of its Pohnpeian builders. The building remains and canals are stable enough that even after centuries of abandonment visitors can still tour Nan Madol by boat. The Pohnpeians, who had neither binding agents like concrete nor modern diving equipment, sank the heavy stones into the lagoon using an unknown method. The largest structure is the Nandauwas, a royal temple surrounded by 25-foot high walls. The buildings stand on a foundation of natural coral that lies just below the water's surface. Some individual stones are light enough that a single person could carry them, while the heaviest of the basalt pillars weigh 100,000 pounds each. Carved basalt stones carefully placed on top of each other in a crisscross pattern formed the walls of each of the 130 buildings. Because of its construction, Nan Madol appears to float on the water. Constructed in a lagoon and surrounded by water on three sides with a stone wall enclosing the complex, the city is often referred to as the "Venice of the Pacific." Nan Madol roughly translates to "within the intervals" referring to the elaborate web of tidal canals and waterways which crisscross the city, allowing transportation between over 90 small artificial islets. Nan Madol is the only extant ancient city built on top of a coral reef. With the defeat of the Sandaleur, Nan Madol's significance to Pohnpeians slowly eroded and it was eventually abandoned in the 18th century. Isokelekel led his war band of warriors, women, and children to victory with the assistance of the oppressed Pohnpeian populace. Historians believe that Isokelekel was the leader of a band of Micronesian settlers from the nearby island of Kosrae. Pohnpeian oral history says that Isokelekel was a demigod and the vengeful son of the Pohnpeian storm god Nahn Sapwe, who had grown unhappy with the tyranny of Nahnisohn Sapw and the Saudeleur. In 1628, the warrior hero Isokelekel led an invasion of Pohnpei and defeated the Saudeleur tribe. According to oral history, later generations of Saudeleur aristocrats became increasingly oppressive, often forcing the native Pohnpeians into starvation. Many Saudeleur were priests, and this heavy concentration of religious leaders led to the development of numerous cults. Nan Madol was a sacred site filled with altars, oracles, and temples. At its peak, Nan Madol may have been home to a thousand people, the majority of whom were commoners serving the nobility. The city was built so that the nobility were isolated from the general population. The largest homes belonged to the chiefly elite and archeological excavations have revealed objects that mark their owners' status in society. The social system at Nan Madol is the earliest known example of such centralized political power in the western Pacific. Nan Madol became the most important political and religious center on the island. The Saudeleur built Nan Madol as a temple for the farm god Nahnisohn Sapw, the god worshipped by the Saudeleur nobility. When one of the brothers eventually died, the other declared himself king. This so impressed the native Pohnpeians that they invited the Saudeleur to marry into their tribe. According to Pohnpeian oral history, the first Saudeleur to arrive on Pohnpei were two brothers, Olisihpa and Olosohpa, canoe-faring sorcerers who received their powers from the gods and used their magic to build Nan Madol. The Saudeleur first appeared around the year 1100 and built Nan Madol around 1200. The Saudeleur were originally a foreign tribe who came to Pohnpei and installed themselves as rulers of the island. Relatively unknown outside of Micronesia, the city of Nan Madol is a hidden gem of Micronesian history and culture and a grand sight for modern visitors.ĭuring its height, Nan Madol was the seat of the Saudeleur dynasty which united all of Pohnpei's estimated 25,000 people. Throughout its 500 year life, from 12, the city served as a religious center, a royal enclave, a fortress, an urban marketplace, and the high seat of government for the island of Pohnpei. Before its abandonment, Nan Madol was a major political and spiritual hub for native Pohnpeians. The city ruins are on a coral reef in a lagoon on the tiny island of Temwen, adjacent to the eastern shore of the island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. Few historic places in the Pacific are as intriguing as Nan Madol.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |