The world’s most remote inhabited island, Easter Island, is also one of the world’s most mysterious places.
Easter Island is famous for its 887 massive statues, called moai, created more than 500 years ago by island locals. These hand-carved statues each measure more than 13 feet high and, amazingly, each of the mammoth statues weigh about 14 tons. They had to meticulously carve the statues at a stone quarry, and transport them to an ideal spot for display.
Which begs the question. How did the ancient civilization move the mega-heavy statues without the use of pulleys, levers or wheels of any any sort?
The notion may not seem like a big deal in 2018, but we’re spoiled with advances like automobiles, boats and even carts. So, the mystery has stood for hundreds of years… until now.
A pair of scientists recently discovered that the islanders probably used good old-fashioned “manpower” to move the massive statues across the island from the quarry to their final resting place. It was suggested that with three sturdy, strong ropes and some extensive planning, it would have been possible for a large group of people (20) to move moai statue several hundred yards.
Check out the video proof of the scientists testing their theory below.
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As someone deeply immersed in the realm of historical mysteries and ancient civilizations, my expertise in this fascinating subject allows me to shed light on the intriguing enigma surrounding Easter Island. My extensive knowledge is not only based on academic pursuits but also on a genuine passion for unraveling the mysteries of the past.
Now, let's delve into the captivating tale of Easter Island and its colossal statues, known as moai. These 887 mammoth figures, standing at over 13 feet tall and weighing a staggering 14 tons each, have mystified the world for centuries. The mystery, at the heart of which lies the question of how the ancient islanders transported these massive statues without the aid of pulleys, levers, or wheels, has baffled historians and archaeologists for generations.
In 2018, a breakthrough emerged as a pair of scientists offered a compelling solution to this age-old puzzle. Contrary to the technological conveniences we enjoy today, the islanders likely relied on the sheer force of "manpower" to move these monolithic statues across the island. The meticulous process involved carving the statues at a stone quarry and then strategically placing them in their final display locations.
The key revelation proposed by these scientists involved the use of three sturdy ropes and careful planning. According to their theory, a sizable group of individuals, numbering around 20, could have effectively transported a moai statue several hundred yards using this method. The idea challenges our modern expectations of technological sophistication and highlights the ingenuity and collaborative effort of the ancient civilization that called Easter Island home.
To witness the evidence supporting this theory, the scientists conducted tests that showcased the feasibility of moving these colossal statues with the suggested manpower and rope technique. The video proof adds a tangible dimension to the historical narrative, bringing the past to life in a way that resonates with both scholars and enthusiasts alike.
This revelation not only demystifies a long-standing puzzle but also provides a glimpse into the resourcefulness and communal strength of Easter Island's ancient inhabitants. The intersection of history, archaeology, and engineering in this narrative exemplifies the beauty of unraveling the secrets of our past.
FAQs
With one rope around the head of the statue and another around the base, they "walked" the moai replica forward by swiveling and rocking it from side to side. Using this method, Pavel Pavel estimated that an experienced crew could move a statue approximately 650 feet each day.
How did the Islanders make and transport the statues on Easter Island? ›
The finished sculpture was then moved to its final destination using a wooden sled or rollers. Experimental re-creation of this feat by modern archaeologists suggests that it required approximately 40 individuals to move an average-sized moai, and roughly 300 to 400 people to produce the rope and food required.
How did the heads on Easter Island get buried? ›
Among the statues that stand on the remote island, around 150 of them have been buried by shifting soils and sediment, creating the illusion that each sculpture stops at the neck.
What happened to Easter Island statues? ›
Around them, there has been a pervasive smell of smoke from still-smoldering vegetation – the vestige of a wildfire that broke out in early October. More than 100 moai were damaged by the flames, many of them blackened by soot, though the impact on the stone remains undetermined.
Has the mystery of Easter Island been solved? ›
The findings suggest that Rapa Nui's moai and ahu were valuable beyond their ancestral significance to the island's early people, the study authors concluded. “Building the statues wasn't inexplicable behavior, but something that was not only culturally significant but central to their survival,” Lipo said.
Did the Easter Island statues walk? ›
- Road moai has to be shaped in a way that can be transported. They did it by shaping their base, so they leaned forward to enable them to walk. This is a great example of the forward lean of these transport moai.
Why are the Easter Island statues so mysterious? ›
It's because we don't know much about the people who lived there, how they died. Also we don't know why they built those scructures and how they did so without tools. The Moai are placed in strange locations too. Perhaps an earthquake or tsunami destroyed the statues.
Why are the moai buried? ›
The heads had been covered by successive mass transport deposits on the island that buried the statues lower half. These events enveloped the statues and gradually buried them to their heads as the islands naturally weathered and eroded through the centuries.
What are the giant heads on Easter Island? ›
On average, they stand 13 feet high and weigh 14 tons, human heads-on-torsos carved in the male form from rough hardened volcanic ash. The islanders call them "moai," and they have puzzled ethnographers, archaeologists, and visitors to the island since the first European explorers arrived here in 1722.
Are the moai buried? ›
About 400 of the island's 1,000 moai are inside the volcanic crater or on its outer slopes, and the rest are scattered around the rest of the Pacific Island's 160 square kilometers (60 square miles). Some of the moai are known to be buried under the surface though they have been left in place.
The exact method used by the Rapa Nui people to move the moai statues on Easter Island is not fully understood, and there are different theories. However, it is believed that they used a combination of human labor and ropes to move the statues from the quarry to their final locations around the island.
Who destroyed the moai? ›
In October, ranchers burning pasture sparked a wildfire that tore across the island's Rano Raraku volcanic crater and damaged several Moai. Chilean government data show wildfires on Easter Island have exploded in recent years, with the last two years seeing the most on record going back to the 1990s.
Are the moai still there? ›
All but 53 of the more than 900 moai known to date were carved from tuff (a compressed volcanic ash) from Rano Raraku, where 394 moai in varying states of completion are still visible today. There are also 13 moai carved from basalt, 22 from trachyte and 17 from fragile red scoria.
Why is Easter Island abandoned? ›
A series of devastating events killed almost the entire population of Easter Island. Jared Diamond suggested that Easter Island's society so destroyed their environment that, by around 1600, their society fell into a downward spiral of warfare, cannibalism, and population decline (see ecocide theory).
How did people travel to Easter Island? ›
Voyaging canoes moved southward, northward and southeast to ultimately inhabit Easter Island, Hawaii, and New Zealand, all in the short period of about 400 years.
What technology was used by the Islanders to transport the huge stone heads? ›
Some ancient statues on Easter Island wear multi-ton stone "hats" known as pukao. A team of researchers say that a technique called parbuckling was most likely used to move the hats into place.
Why did the Easter Islanders stop producing giant statues? ›
This suggests two things: first, that the resource-based economy and social structure of the island were shifting as trees became rarer and rarer. Second, that giant moai could no longer be transported from quarries to the coasts where they were usually erected.
How was Easter Island constructed? ›
An isolated triangle measuring 14 miles long by seven miles wide, Easter Island was formed by a series of volcanic eruptions. In addition to its hilly terrain, the island contains many subterranean caves with corridors that extend deep into mountains of volcanic rock.
