▁f ec und ity . ▁Dance ▁sites ▁exist ▁next ▁to ▁some ▁meg al ith s . ▁In ▁some ▁places ▁in ▁Mel anes ia ▁rit uals ▁are ▁continued ▁to ▁be ▁held ▁at ▁the ▁sacred ▁meg al ith ▁sites . ▁The ▁fact ▁that ▁the ▁belief s ▁are ▁alive ▁is ▁a ▁reason ▁that ▁most ▁exc av ations ▁have ▁been ▁stopped ▁at ▁the ▁sites . ▁ ▁Mic ron esian ▁meg al ith s ▁Meg al ith ic ▁structures ▁in ▁Mic ron esia ▁reach ▁their ▁most ▁developed ▁form ▁on ▁the ▁islands ▁of ▁P ohn pe i ▁and ▁Kos ra e ▁in ▁the ▁Eastern ▁Caroline ▁Islands . ▁On ▁these ▁two ▁islands ▁there ▁was ▁extensive ▁use ▁of ▁pr ism atic ▁bas alt ▁columns ▁to ▁build ▁u pl and ▁building ▁complex es ▁such ▁as ▁those ▁at ▁Sal ap w uk ▁on ▁P ohn pe i ▁and ▁Men ka ▁on ▁Kos ra e . ▁ ▁These ▁building ▁sites , ▁remote ▁from ▁the ▁ocean , ▁appear ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁abandoned ▁early . ▁ ▁Meg al ith ic ▁building ▁then ▁shift ed ▁to ▁construct ing ▁networks ▁of ▁artificial ▁islands ▁on ▁the ▁coast ▁that ▁supported ▁a ▁mult itude ▁of ▁common , ▁royal ▁and ▁religious ▁structures . ▁ ▁D ating ▁of ▁the ▁structures ▁is ▁difficult ▁but ▁the ▁complex ▁at ▁Nan ▁Mad ol ▁on ▁P oh pe i ▁was ▁probably ▁inhab ited ▁as ▁early ▁as ▁c . ▁ 8 0 0 , ▁probably ▁as ▁an ▁artificial ▁islands , ▁with ▁the ▁more ▁elaborate ▁buildings ▁and ▁religious ▁structures ▁added ▁to ▁the ▁site ▁from ▁ 1 0 0 0 –