Phys.org

Studies show how the giant statues on Rapa Nui were made and moved—and what caused the island's deforestation

Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, is often portrayed in popular culture as an enigma. The rationale is clear: The tiny, remote island in the Pacific features nearly 1,000 enormous statues—the ...
Ars Technica

How Easter Island’s giant statues “walked” to their final platforms

Easter Island is famous for its giant monumental statues, called moai, built some 800 years ago and typically mounted on platforms called ahu. Scholars have puzzled over the moai on Easter Island for ...
The New York Times

Did the Giant Heads of Easter Island Once Walk?

Scholars have long debated how the massive stone figures of Rapa Nui got to where they stand today. A new study offers one possible explanation. The Rapa Nui moai, the monolithic stone figures of ...
KRDO

Easter Island quarry reveals how Polynesians made enigmatic stone statues

(CNN) — Archaeologists say a 3D model of a centuries-old quarry of unfinished stone head statues on Easter Island offers new clues about how these monuments were made and the Polynesian society that ...
The Conversation

Drones, physics and rats: Studies show how the people of Rapa Nui made and moved the giant statues – and what caused the island’s deforestation

Carl Lipo receives funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Geographic Society. Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, is often portrayed in popular culture as an enigma. The ...