Nan Madol — An Ancient Anomaly in Micronesia
An anomaly is an irregular occurrence, a deviation from the rule, or something unexplainable or abnormal. And our world, our history books, and our scientific discoveries are full of anomalies — many related to prehistory civilizations.
No satisfying answers to these enigmas have been provided by mainstream science. But such anomalies strongly indicate ancient technological achievement by an advanced intelligence. It is something that we cannot dismiss and must pursue.
Given the age of Earth and the billions of years of geologic and climatic recycling, the likelihood of prehistory civilizations is considered quite feasible. But getting mainstream science and religious dogma to accept such a reality is difficult because it would turn all traditional belief structures upside down.
This article is part of my series of articles regarding ancient anomalies. Click here to access all my articles on this fascinating subject.
If you’re all caught up, let’s explore…
Nan Madol on the Island of Pohnpei in Micronesia
Pohnpei is a remote island in Micronesia, about 2500 miles from Australia. It’s part of the Senyavin Islands. And off the island of Pohnpei lies the ancient city of Nan Madol. It’s the only ancient city ever built upon a coral reef.
Nan Madol means “spaces between,” referring to the canals crisscrossing the ruins. And so, it is sometimes referred to as the Venice of the Pacific. Its traditional name was Soun Nan-leng (Reef of Heaven).
The site comprises almost 100 stone and coral fill platforms atop artificial islands separated by narrow channels and enclosed by an outer seawall. The total area of the enclosure is 75 hectares.
The foundations of the islets were constructed of enormous volcanic stones. Upon these megaliths, walled enclosures were built using volcanic columnar basalt in a ‘header and stretcher’ pattern and in-filled with coral rubble.
Basalt is an extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of lava rich in magnesium and iron. More than 90% of all volcanic rock on Earth is basalt. Natural columnar jointing can form in lava flows of basalt. Most columns are straight with parallel sides and diameters from a few inches to nine feet (see photo above).
Columns of basalt can reach heights of 90 feet. Most columns tend to have five or six sides but have as few as three and as many as seven sides. The rock monolith known as Devils Tower in Wyoming (made famous in the movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”) is an example of a shallow volcanic intrusion that formed columnar jointing as it cooled.
The basalt walls at Nan Madol were as high as 30 feet and up to 15 feet thick. The average weight of each basalt stone was 5 tons, with some weighing as much as 50 tons. It has been estimated that the total weight of the columnar basalt that makes up the city’s construction is up to 750,000 metric tons.
How was Nan Madol built?
The original location of the basalt stones used in the construction of Nan Madol is yet to be determined. No quarries existed in the immediate vicinity, meaning the stones had to be cut at some other location and transported to Nan Madol. A probable quarry site has been identified on the island, but it’s about 25 miles north — and it’s a long journey to Nan Madol over rugged terrain.
So, how were the enormous volcanic rock pillars cut away at the distant source quarry? Extraction methods would have required sophisticated cutting tools and lifting and hauling equipment.
And let’s not forget the necessary knowledge of mathematics (including calculus), physics, engineering, and surveying. As a sidebar, calculus was not invented until the 17th century.
Mainstream historians and archaeologists have suggested that the huge rocks may have been floated via raft to the islets and manual labor then used ropes and rollers to move the stones into place. Even with this weak theory, it’s incredible how the builders accomplished this large project without pulleys, levers, or metal to aid in the massive undertaking.
It has been calculated that such a construction project would have required as many as 25,000 people (the entire population of early Pohnpei). Assuming a reasonable rate of cutting, shaping, moving, and placing 2,000 metric tons of material per year would have required about 375 years to construct Nan Madol!
And, speaking of the number of people involved, there is another problem with how Nan Madol was built. It requires that mainstream science explain why and how a labor force large enough to construct, augment, and maintain such a colossal project was organized, mobilized, compensated, and fed in the first place — especially considering the living conditions and survival needs of ancient people who would have been living on Pohnpei at the time.
As with many other ancient megaliths worldwide, there are alternative and plausible theories proposing that with assistance from intelligent extraterrestrials or advanced humans from elsewhere in the world, the stones at Nan Madol could have been cut, shaped, and moved with advanced technology — including anti-gravity levitating techniques.
As usual, such alternative theories are debunked by mainstream archaeologists. They prefer to stick with their own story of how Nan Madol was built. In their version: people in their spare time were organized, somehow convinced, and then enlisted to complete this formidable undertaking for an unknown cause and probably at great sacrifice over several centuries.
So, who and why was Nan Madol built?
According to mainstream archeologists, evidence of the earliest human activity on the island dates to the first or second century BC. But it’s not known exactly when the construction of Nan Madol began. Accurate dating of the basalt stonework is impossible to determine.
Mainstream science says Nan Madol was built between the 5th and 11th centuries AD. And, supposedly, the original and only purpose for Nan Madol was to serve as a ritual and ceremonial center for the ruling chiefs of the Saudeleur Dynasty.
According to Wikipedia, the Saudeleur Dynasty was the first organized government uniting the people of Pohnpei island — and they ruled from around 1100 to around 1628 AD. This era, however, was preceded by the Mwehin Kawa (“period of building”) and Mwehin Aramas (“period of peopling”).
Mainstream science has used radiocarbon dating to determine the age of Nan Madol. But skeptical researchers point out that the radiocarbon dating was done on the coral rubble used by the Saudeleur Dynasty to repair what they stumbled upon.
The people of Pohnpei believe that the Saudeleur appropriated Nan Madol as their own. And that Nan Madol was already an ancient ruin thousands of years old when they took possession of it.
According to Pohnpeian legend, Nan Madol began with twin sorcerers Olisihpa and Olosohpa. The twins were said to be much taller than the native Pohnpeians.
The brothers sought a place to worship Nahnisohn Sahpw, the god of agriculture. They successfully built an altar at Nan Madol and performed rituals to levitate huge stones with the aid of a flying dragon. When Olisihpa died of extreme old age, Olosohpa became the first Saudeleur.
The Saudeleur Dynasty ruled for more than a millennium, yet there is nothing left of them but legend and the crumbling black basalt ruins.
And there is no record of the inhabitants who preceded them. No writing, no art. The only knowledge that remains is that which has been passed down through oral history by the Pohnpeians.
Nan Madol is an engineering enigma. Yet despite the enormity of the undertaking in building the city, no records exist as to when exactly it was built, where the enormous rocks came from, how they were transported, and for what reason it was constructed.
And, oh by the way, why was Nan Madol built on top of a coral reef when the builders had a perfectly good island to build on instead?
Accepting that Nan Madol was built in prehistory enables us to imagine that its purpose perhaps was to serve as a naval port or aerial base for ET or some prehistory-advanced human civilization living elsewhere in the world.
In a prehistory epoch, could Nan Madol have been part of a great lost culture that existed throughout the Pacific region and beyond?
It’s interesting to note that some researchers have suggested Nan Madol is the remains of one of the “lost continents” of Lemuria or Mu.
Also, interestingly, there is physical evidence of even earlier structures at a depth of 80 feet underwater off Nan Madol. Another older city is overgrown by coral. It was built when sea levels were lower — as in a pre-flood time, before the end of the last ice age 12,000 years ago.
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If this article intrigues you, then you might like my series of six self-published books designed to present ‘some of what I know so far’ on a wide range of interesting subjects, including human evolution, spirituality, politics, religion, finance, nature, science, ancient anomalies, the cosmos and so much more.
This article is compiled from chapters 5 and 6 of my third book in the series titled: “So, here’s some of what I know so far regarding the Sci-Tech, Anomalies, Human 2.0, and ETs.”
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