Feb 6, 2025 · The Moai statues of Easter Island are enduring symbols of the ingenuity and resilience of the Rapa Nui people. While much about their construction and purpose remains shrouded in mystery, recent archaeological findings have shed new …

Jun 7, 2013 · In October 2012, researchers came up with the "walking" theory by creating a 5-ton replica of one of the statues (or "moai"), and actually moving it in an upright position, and have published...

Aug 19, 2014 · In 2010, archaeologists announced that they had debunked a 50-year-old theory about how the moai were moved around the island. Thor Heyerdahl published this theory in 1958, stating that the ancient roads on the island were the islanders’ main route of transport.

Mar 21, 2019 · Chile's Easter Island (Rapa Nui) is famous for its giant monumental statues, called moai, built by early inhabitants some 800 years ago. The islanders likely chose the statues' locations based on...

Jun 21, 2012 · Over the last sixty years, scientists have theorized that the Rapanui moved the moai -- some of which are as tall as 33 feet and weigh more than 80 tons -- using various methods, from strapping the statues to tree trunks and dragging them on the ground to rolling them on sleds over felled trees.

Jun 24, 2024 · Early theories suggested the use of wooden sledges, rollers, or even supernatural assistance. However, these theories often lacked concrete evidence and failed to fully explain the process. Recent studies propose that the Moai were moved by “walking” them across the island.

Among the many secrets buried in Easter Island prehistory is the question of how the Rapanui people transported the multi-ton statues, or moai, from their quarries to their final ceremonial ahu...

Jul 6, 2023 · Rapa Nui’s giant and ancient moai statues have stumped academics and archaeologists for centuries, sparking myriad Easter Island theories. Aliens, rats, and human greed have all been credited with the dramatic collapse in Easter Island’s population and abandoned statues that scatter the land.

Jan 18, 2024 · The most widely accepted theory is that the Moai represented deified ancestors. It’s believed that the Rapa Nui people constructed these statues to honour their ancestors, leaders, or other important figures.

Jun 24, 2012 · Now a pair of archaeologists have come up with a new theory: Perhaps the statues, known as moai, were "engineered to move" upright in a rocking motion, using only manpower and rope.