In 2016, UNESCO declared mysterious ruins located on an island in the Pacific Ocean as a World Heritage Site. This enigmatic city is Nan Madol and its unknown origin remains an “impossible” mission for archaeology.
Researchers have not been able to establish who its builders were . Despite the different studies carried out by various experts, Nan Madol has not been able to be deciphered even with advanced technology .
The enigma of Nan Madol
To the south of Pohnpei Island , in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, one of the great wonders of archeology is located; Nan Madol.
It was built on coral reefs using huge basalt rocks. The weight of the huge rocks varies between 5 to 40 tons . Something really impressive if you take into account that the city dates back to the 2nd century AD. c.
When the first European explorers arrived in the city, they were surprised to the point that they considered it the eighth wonder of the world . The megalithic buildings are still standing, even their foundations are under water.
Unfortunately, the ruins do not have any artistic elements or petroglyphs to help determine when it was built. Nor can it be established which civilization inhabited it. On this point, there are several discrepancies among experts. Differences that made Nan Madol an unsolved mystery .
So far, and based on human remains found on the island, the city is from the 2nd century AD. C., 14,000 years ago .
But it is possible that this date only corresponds to the remains, and not to the construction . There is evidence to support this theory. A striking fact is that the foundations of Nan Madol are submerged.
archaeological mystery
How could they start construction with such large and heavy rocks underwater at that time? This detail suggests that Nan Madol was above sea level at first and then sank. But this approach is not supported by geologists.
Pohnpei Island was never affected by a phenomenon that has sunk it, as it happened with other cities. So how did it stay underwater?
So far there are 2 options; the first is based on logical scientific arguments related to the increase in ocean waters. The other is attributed to an ancient legend .
According to historians and geologists, the last large-scale deglaciation occurred 14,000 years ago. The ice that covered much of the Earth melted, leading to a rise in sea levels of up to 100 meters .
Therefore, the construction is located 14,000 years ago, although this theory is not accepted by the main researchers of Nan Madol.
Investigations made by divers allowed to observe that under the sea there are remains of the city . Not only parts of old roads, but there are also avenues and cemeteries that were part of the islets.
But this leads to other questions. How were more than 100 thousand metric tons of basalt rock moved to the island?
A legend
There is a legend about twin sorcerers named Olisihpa and Olosohpa. This account that they came from a mystical place called “Western Katau”, arriving by canoe to Nan Madol.
When they settled down, they began to build an altar to worship the god of agriculture Nahnisohn Sahpw. Legend has it that they used magical powers to control a flying dragon, causing the huge stones to levitate onto the island.
After Olishpa’s death, the first representative of the Saudeleur dynasty would settle the island through Oloshohpa.
Alternative researchers consider that the ruins of Nan Madol could be part of lost continents such as Mu and Lemuria, as raised in the book The Lost Continent of Mu, Motherland of Man published in 1926 by James Churchward.
David H. Childress , a researcher and writer, also stated that it could be connected to Lemuria.
Bill S. Ballinger theorized in his 1978 book, Lost City of Stones, that Nan Madol was built by Greek sailors in 30 BC. c.
The locals call it “the Atlantis of the Pacific”, since old stories from nearby towns tell that it hides another mysterious city under the sea, which emits lights from time to time.
Despite years of research, there are no clear answers to the mystery of the lost civilization. Was it founded 14,000 years ago? How did they build it? What is real and what is a myth?
