Leluh is a major prehistoric and historic archaeological site, encompassing the remains of a city on

Lelu Island Lelu Island is a small island in Lelu Harbour, in the Lelu municipality of Kosrae Kosrae ( ), formerly known as Kusaie or Strong's Island, is an island in the Federated States of Micronesia. The State of Kosrae is one of the four states of th ...

, a satellite of the larger island of

Kosrae Kosrae ( ), formerly known as Kusaie or Strong's Island, is an island in the Federated States of Micronesia. The State of Kosrae is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia, and includes the main island of Kosrae and a few near ...

in the

Federated States of Micronesia The Federated States of Micronesia (; abbreviated FSM) is an island country in Oceania. It consists of four states from west to east, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosraethat are spread across the western Pacific. Together, the states compr ...

. The remains are those of a civilization that peaked around the 14th and 15th centuries, with elements still visible at the time of European contact in the early 19th century. The rulers of Leluh gradually conquered and thus unified the island of Kosrae. From the capital at Leluh, they ruled the island with a monarchy that archaeologists believe was similar to the kingdoms of

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. The city itself is built of blocks of coral and basalt. It consists of housing, royal tombs and sacred spaces. Housing regrouped the king, his family, the high and low aristocracy and of course the commoner population. The materials used for the construction of housing depended on social class, as did the spatial situation of the people: in the center the King and the aristocracy behind high walls of basalt (similar to those of Nan Madol), to the west, the lower aristocracy in modest houses of coral, and the rest of the population in simple huts. At the time of European contact, the population of Kosrae was estimated at 6,000 persons; it dropped to 200 in 1870. In the wake of increased settlement, materials of the city were recycled for other uses over the 20th century. The site was listed on the United States

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1983.

Notes and references

{{National Register of Historic Places in the Federated States of Micronesia Archaeological sites in the Federated States of Micronesia Ruins in the Federated States of Micronesia History of Micronesia Former populated places in Oceania National Register of Historic Places in the Federated States of Micronesia Megalithic monuments Former monarchies