LASER SURVEYS UNVEIL ANCIENT NAN MADOL, A HIDDEN PACIFIC CITY OF SOPHISTICATED AGRICULTURE

Wed 25 September 2024:

Once a bustling metropolis, the ancient city of Nan Madol, often called the “Venice of the Pacific,” now lies hidden beneath dense vegetation in the Pacific Ocean. Thanks to cutting-edge aerial surveys using LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology, researchers have uncovered a vast, advanced network of cultivation features, transforming our understanding of this megalithic city.

Image of lost city Nan Madol captured by aerial survey via LiDAR. Photograph:(Others).

A Glimpse Into a Forgotten Civilization
LiDAR mapping has revealed “a sophisticated and extensive landscape of cultivation features hidden under Temwen Island’s vegetation,” offering insights into the complex agricultural systems of Pacific Island cultures. This discovery challenges the long-held belief that these societies relied solely on subsistence fishing and natural tropical resources.

Rewriting the History of Pacific Agriculture
Led by Baltimore’s Cultural Site Research and Management (CSRM) Foundation, the international team uncovered ancient irrigation terraces that once supplied freshwater to Nan Madol. The city, believed to have flourished between 1100 and 1628 AD before declining with the fall of the Saudeleur dynasty, is now seen as a hub of agricultural innovation.

Dr. Douglas Comer, head of the project, noted, “The consensus among archaeologists has been that there was no intensification of agriculture in Micronesia by means of formal field systems.” However, the LiDAR findings suggest otherwise, pointing to early, complex taro farming practices that resemble Polynesian terracing systems seen in Hawaii and American Samoa.

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Preserving Nan Madol for Future Generations
As researchers push for Nan Madol’s designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the LiDAR technology continues to offer new insights into the city’s hidden ruins, reshaping our understanding of the sophisticated societies that once thrived in the Pacific.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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