Saudeleur

A lost city found among the coral reefs of the Pacific, Nan Mandol is now ruins adjacent to the eastern shore of the island of Pohnpei that once was the capital of the Saudeleur Dynasty until 1628 (Ayres et al. 1992). Recently, a research group from the Southern Methodist University led by Mark D. McCoy found the earliest direct evidence of monument building at Nan Madol (McCoy et al. 2016). This is a significant discovery that pushes back the initial age of dynasty in the Pacific over 100 years

island of Pohnpei in Micronesia. It was built between the thirteenth and seventeenth centuries. On top of a coral reef built from black basaltic rock, it is a series of artificial islets. This complex was the ceremonial and political seat of the Saudeleur Dynasty (Beardsley, 1998). It also enclosed the royal tomb. The city was built to house the supreme rulers and all food, water and resources had to be brought from the mainland. All resources were brought to the city by commoners and slaves on