Skip to main content
Dataset
The Moai of Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
Anthropology Faculty Scholarship
  • Carl P. Lipo, Binghamton University--SUNY
  • Terry L. Hunt, University of Arizona
Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4391-3590

Document Type
Data Set
Publication Date
6-4-2018
Keywords
  • moai,
  • Easter Island,
  • Rapa Nui,
  • megalith
Abstract

The current database for the moai of Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile).

Publisher Attribution

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Citation Information
Lipo, C. P., et al. (2013). "The 'Walking' Megalithic Statues (Moai) of Easter Island." Journal of Archaeological Science 40(6): 2859-2866. Explaining how the monumental statues (moai) of Easter Island were transported has remained open to debate and speculation, including their resource expenditures and role in deforestation. Archaeological evidence including analysis of moai variability, particularly those abandoned along ancient roads, indicates transport was achieved in a vertical position. To test this proposition we constructed a precise three-dimensional 4.35 metric ton replica of an actual statue and demonstrate how positioning the center of mass allowed it to fall forward and rock from side to side causing it to 'walk.' Our experiments reveal how the statue form was engineered for efficient transport by a small number of individuals.