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Peer-Reviewed Study Finds Easter Island's Moai Were 'Walked' Upright Using Ropes
A team led by anthropologist Carl Lipo demonstrated that just 18 people could move a moai statue 100 meters in 40 minutes using ropes and a controlled rocking motion.
- Recently, a study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science led by Carl P. Lipo, Professor of Anthropology, Binghamton University, and Terry Hunt, Archaeologist, University of Arizona, analysed nearly 1,000 moai, including 62 along ancient roads, concluding they were moved upright using rope and small teams.
- Design analysis shows wide D-shaped bases and a forward tilt that made rocking movement feasible, while Rapa Nui roads, about 4.5 meters wide with a concave cross-section, stabilized moai statues.
- Experimental trials showed a 4.35-metric-ton replica moai and a team of 18 people moved it 100 meters in 40 minutes, confirming the walking method's efficiency.
- The study reframes long-standing views by showing the walking model best explains the evidence and honours the Rapa Nui people as skilled engineers, replacing myths of a self-destructive culture.
- The findings also match Rapa Nui oral traditions, noting the statues `walking` and Lipo challenged critics to `Find some evidence that shows it couldn't be walking`, adding `The physics makes sense`.
41 Articles
41 Articles
How Easter Island’s Massive Moai Statues Actually “Walked” Themselves
Researchers have finally solved how the ancient people of Rapa Nui moved their massive moai statues across Easter Island. By combining physics, 3D modeling, and real-world experiments, scientists discovered that the statues were designed to “walk” upright through a clever rocking motion. The Mystery of the Walking Statues For generations, scientists have been fascinated by [...]
Scientists Solve Easter Island Statue Mystery: Turns Out We’ve All Used The Same Trick At Home
When I was a kid, Easter Island blew my mind. At first, it was because I thought it was full of rabbits, eggs, and candy. A little bit of reading revealed that this was, in fact, not the case. Still, there were plenty of other interesting things about it. The biggest is, of course, those big ol' Easter Island head statues known as the Moai.They fascinated me to no end, and the island's greatest mystery has always been how the ancient inhabitants…
The imposing Moai statues are the symbol of a lost culture on the Easter Islands. For a long time, however, it was unclear: How did the tons of monuments reach their place? Researchers now believe that they have solved the mystery.
A recent study states that the famous Moai statues of Easter Island could move on their feet, with the help of ropes, which would change the way in which their transfer was understood for centuries.The research, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, indicated that the Rapa Nui people would have developed an ingenious method for moving stone monuments.The evidence indicates that they used ropes tied to the sides of the statues to ge…
How did they do that? Hundreds of years ago, people weighed huge stone sculptures across Easter Island. But perhaps the transport was easier than expected.
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