Nan Madol, the city on the sea
The account
Local legend says two sorcerer twins used magic to make the stone columns fly into place.
What investigators found
It was the capital of the Saudeleur dynasty. The basalt columns were stacked like logs, probably brought in on rafts, in an effort spanning generations.
The story
Off the coast of the island of Pohnpei, in Micronesia, nearly 100 artificial islets are surrounded by canals. They were built from basalt columns stacked like a log cabin, forming walls several meters high. The city is estimated to contain hundreds of thousands of tons of stone.
Pohnpei tradition tells that two sorcerer brothers, Olisihpa and Olosohpa, made the stones fly there. Archaeologists link Nan Madol to the Saudeleur dynasty, which ruled the island from the 12th century. How the columns were transported is still debated, but rafts and a great deal of labor are the most likely answer. Since 2016, the ruins have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.