Nan Madol - Who built this mysterious city of stone in the ocean and why? This time, we have answers!

Yes, we know why Nan Madol was built and how it was used.

Who builds a city on water when there's perfectly good land nearby? And why would this be done without any source of food or water? And why build it entirely of stone? These are mysteries of the city of Nan Madol, a mysterious city in the South Pacific nation of Micronesia.

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - Nan Madol is a city made entirely of stone, and built entirely on the ocean instead of on nearby land. It has no supply of food or fresh water and was inhabited for hundreds of years before finally being abandoned in the seventeenth century.

The city is often visited by tourists and archaeologists who must embark by boat to tour the ruins. Dubbed the "Venice of the Pacific," the city's past is shrouded in mystery, although recent research and stories gathered from the region have brought the facts to life.

According to legend, the city was established by a pair of brothers who wanted to worship an agricultural deity. After attempting to build altars in several places, they were finally successful in using stone to build one just offshore of Temwen Island. The legend says they were aided by a dragon who moved the heavy stones for them.

The great mystery is the construction of the many homes and temples found in the city. There are about a hundred such artificial islands, all constructed with stone and connected by waterways. How they moved and placed these stones remains subject to speculation. The stones themselves were taken from a basalt plug in a nearby volcano.

However, archaeologists believe they understand why the city was built where it was, in the ocean and without food and water, and what it's purpose was for. The city was an expression of power, and a means of control.

The kings of Nan Madol lived in the watery city, and they required their subject chieftains to do the same. This gave them control over their chiefs, by keeping them close. They had all their food and water delivered to them, which was a form of daily tribute paid by the island's inhabitants. This also served to underscore their power.

In addition to chieftains, priests also populated the city, and they performed many of the religious rites and funeral rites in the city. This made the site an important ceremonial location and the seat of religious power as well as political authority.

It is likely that the city was also a defensive structure, as any attacker would be required to approach by water in a boat, complicating any attack plan.

The city was eventually taken in the seventeenth century and abandoned in the decades that followed. Its use as a defensive structure was limited because the city was still dependent on support from the island.

Today the island can be visited although efforts are underway to preserve it. It is considered a global landmark and recently, a World Heritage Site.

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