On one of the most remote and isolated islands in the world, stand hundreds of tall mysterious statues. These stone statues weigh several tons and many are over 30 feet tall. The statues are fascinating because they were built at quarries far away from their final resting place.

How were these statues "walked" to their final resting places? Did natives use spiritual power to "move" the statues? It is a question that has puzzled archeologists and scientists and we may now have some clues as to how the natives managed it nearly 13 centuries ago!

Easter Islands

Easter Islands is a volcanic Polynesian island located in the Pacific Ocean about 2300 miles off the coast of Chile in South America. The Spanish name for the island is Isla de Pascua while its Polynesian name is Rapa Nui. Though presently uninhabited, many think that the island was once very fertile, with moist climate, lots of trees and food.

It is thought that the trees on the island may have been destroyed for the construction and transportation of the Moai statues across the island. Some think that battles between two native tribes that used fires may have destroyed the vegetation and food on the island, causing the islanders to die out.

The Moai “Walk”

Believe it or not -- over 887 statues (Maois) have been found all over the island and are believed to have been between 1100 to 1680 AD. The tallest Moai is nearly 33 feet tall and weighs 86 tons. Craftsmen used hand chisels and made the various parts of the statues from different types of volcanic stone found on the island including Basalt, Obsidian, Red Scoria and Tuff.

Some of the Moai have moved as much as 11 miles from the quarry they were carved in. None of the statues had wheels or any type of mechanism to move them. So far, scientists had thought that the natives used log rollers, ropes and wooden sledges to mount the moais. However, recently, archaeologists Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo have come up with a new theory.

They successfully demonstrated moving a 5 ton statue nearly 100 yards, with 18 people, 3 strong ropes and some practice. According to them, Moais were "engineered to move” in a rocking motion, using manpower and rope. You see, every Moai had a pot-belly (big stomach) which made it easier to tilt the statue forward.  Further, the bases of the Moai were heavy and D-shaped, making it easier to move the Moai from side to side.

What was the significance of the statues for the natives? Why were they moved? Could there have been other ways of moving the statues than the new 'walking' theory? These are all unanswered questions still waiting to be explored…

Courtesy: Wikipedia, National Geographic