The root of the iconic stone heads of Easter Island has agelong been 1 of the world’s top archaeological mysteries. However, scientists present assertion to person solved an important portion of that mystery.
Weighing betwixt 12 and 80 tons, the tremendous chromatic figures person puzzled researchers for decades, arsenic they could not recognize however the island’s past civilization transported them to their last locations.
According to the Daily Mail, utilizing a operation of 3D modeling and experiments, scientists person confirmed that the statues really “walked” to their destinations.
By studying astir 1,000 of the statues, known arsenic moai, anthropologists concluded that the Rapa Nui radical apt utilized ropes to “rock” them successful a zigzag pattern.
This method allowed tiny groups of radical to determination the monolithic moai implicit agelong distances with comparatively small effort.
One of the study’s authors, Professor Carl Lipo of Binghamton University, explained: “Once it starts moving, it’s not hard astatine each — radical conscionable propulsion with 1 hand. It saves vigor and moves precise quickly. The hard portion is getting it started.”
Until recently, anthropologists believed that the moai were laid horizontally and dragged to their last positions — a process requiring immense spot and galore people, particularly for the larger statues.
But now, determination is increasing grounds that the Rapa Nui radical had discovered a overmuch smarter and simpler solution.
By tying ropes to some sides of a statue’s caput and pulling alternately near and right, the statue could “rock” sideways and determination guardant with a question resembling “walking.”
Professor Lipo and his colleague, Professor Terry Hunt of the University of Arizona, had already tested this mentation connected smaller models but wanted to spot if it would besides enactment for larger moai.
They archetypal created a elaborate 3D exemplary of a moai to find which features would enactment this benignant of movement. They recovered that the moai seemed intentionally designed to beryllium capable to “walk.”
Their ample D-shaped basal and forward-leaning posture helped make the zigzag question erstwhile rocked from broadside to side.
Rapa Nui (Easter Island). What an experience! Blue Skies, Pacific Waters and the Moai! The astir absorbing portion of the travel was knowing the humanities transportation of the radical present to South & SE Asia! Fascinating! pic.twitter.com/Rk1OLk4Ymm
— Rohan Varshnei (@Upintheair380) September 25, 2025To trial the mentation successful the existent world, the researchers built a 4.35-ton replica moai based connected their 3D model. Like the originals, it had a D-shaped basal and a halfway of gravity tilted somewhat forward.
With a squad of conscionable 18 people, they managed to determination the statue 100 meters successful lone 40 minutes — overmuch faster than erstwhile attempts.
The researchers reason that this provides beardown grounds that the larger moai were besides transported successful this “walking” fashion.
Professor Lipo stated: “The physics marque sense. What we observed experimentally truly works. And the bigger the statue, the amended this method functions. It’s the lone mode they could person been moved.”
Even the island’s oral traditions notation that the statues “walked” from the quarries wherever they were carved to their last resting places.
To further enactment their theory, the researchers besides studied the web of “moai roads” that crisscross the island.
“Every clip they moved a statue, it seems they built a roadworthy too. The roadworthy is portion of the transport process,” said Professor Lipo.
These specially constructed roads are believed to person been designed to assistance successful moving the statues, and their signifier is perfect for the moai’s “walking” motion.
They are astir 4.5 meters wide and person a concave illustration that helps stabilize the statue and marque it easier to determination forward.
Some moai statues recovered fallen on the sides of these roads amusement signs that radical tried to assistance them backmost up by digging nether their “feet,” different beardown hint supporting the “walking” hypothesis.
Professor Lipo concluded: “This shows however intelligent the Rapa Nui radical were. They figured it out. They merit recognition for what they accomplished — we person overmuch to larn from them and their principles.”
What are the Moai statues?
The Moai are monolithic quality figures carved by the Rapa Nui radical of Easter Island, located successful the Pacific Ocean and portion of Chile, betwixt 1250 and 1500 AD.
All the statues person disproportionately ample heads and are thought to correspond deified ancestors. There are 887 statues, astir facing inland, with an mean tallness of astir 4 meters.
Only 53 moai are not made from tuff (compressed volcanic ash), portion astir 100 deterioration reddish “hats” oregon “topknots” made from scoria, known arsenic pukao.
What bash they symbolize?
In 1979, archaeologists suggested that the statues were designed to person eyes made of coral. The figures are believed to symbolize authorization and power.
They whitethorn correspond erstwhile chiefs and service arsenic repositories of spirits oregon mana — a supernatural, spiritual force.
They were positioned truthful that the ancestors would ticker implicit the villages, portion 7 of them look the oversea to assistance travelers find land. Yet, it remains a enigma however the monolithic carved stones were transported into place.
In their isolated determination disconnected the seashore of Chile, it is believed that the island’s past inhabitants were yet decimated by bloody conflicts arsenic they fought implicit the island’s dwindling resources.
What they near down were the iconic elephantine chromatic heads — and an land littered with crisp triangular pieces of volcanic glass, which immoderate archaeologists agelong believed had been utilized arsenic weapons.
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