The island has about 900 moai statues, the heaviest over 80 tons, which had to be transported from the Rano Raraku quarry to coastal altars several kilometers away. The "walking" hypothesis was experimentally demonstrated to be possible using ropes to rock them side to side. The installation of the pukao (stone hats), the abandonment of statues in transit, and the relationship between ecological collapse and moai worship are still under study.
Account
The island has about 900 moai statues, the heaviest over 80 tons, which had to be transported from the Rano Raraku quarry to coastal altars several kilometers away. The "walking" hypothesis was experimentally demonstrated to be possible using ropes to rock them side to side. The installation of the pukao (stone hats), the abandonment of statues in transit, and the relationship between ecological collapse and moai worship are still under study.
Sources
- Journal of Archaeological Science
- Easter Island field archaeology project report