S32-3
Dating Nan Madol and the Saudeleur Dynasty in Eastern Micronesia: What does Climate Change have to do with it?
Felicia Beardsley1, Shen Chuan-Chou2,3, Gong Shou-Yeh4, Kataoka Osamu5, Yoneda Minoru6, Yokoyama Yusuke7,8, Huang Chun-Yuan2,3, Hu Hsun-Ming2,3, Liu Sze-Chieh9, Chiang Hong-Wei9, Chung Yun-Chuan2,3, Lin Yu-Min Albert10,11, James Fox12, Mordain David13,18, Jason Lebehn13,18, Jason Barnabas13, Gus Kohler14, Zoe T. Richards15,16, Jean-Paul A. Hobbs17
1University of La Verne, U.S.A.
2HISTEC, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
3RCFW, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
4National Museum of Natural Science, Taiwan
5Sophia University, Japan
6University Museum, University of Tokyo, Japan
7University of Tokyo, Japan
8Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, Japan
9National Taiwan University, Taiwan
10University of California, U.S.A.
11National Geographic Society, U.S.A.
12State University of New York, U.S.A.
13Pohnpei State Historic Preservation Office, Micronesia
14National Historic Preservation Program, Micronesia
15Curtin University, Australia
16Western Australian Museum, Australia
17University of Queensland, Australia
18Deceased
Using uranium series dating, combined with new and published radiocarbon dates, we have securely bracketed the dates for the period from construction to (near) abandonment of Nan Madol, a monumental complex off the coast of Pohnpei and the dedicated capital of the Saudeleur Dynasty in Eastern Micronesia. By AD 800/900 construction was underway at the site, with a peak in activity occurring by the mid-11th century CE that appears to be associated with the consolidation of power within the Saudeleur Dynasty. Both the dynasty and construction activities come to end in the early part of the 15th century CE. The Nan Madol dates are bounded by globally active unsettled climate patterns, similar to the active occupations at other sites such as Angkor Wat. Here we examine the influence of climate change on political and social transformations in Micronesia, and the rise and fall of maritime empires using the model established at Nan Madol.