INTERESTING STUDY SUGGESTS THAT THE FAMOUS MOAI STATUES WALKED TO ITS FINAL RESTING PLACE

There has long been a mystery about the moai statues on Rapa Nui, often known as Easter Island. The position and scale of these enormous monoliths are the most significant questions that archaeologists have faced since their discovery. How were they placed on their platforms and moved about, given that each one weighs several tons? Finally, there appears to be a solution in a recent study that was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

The moai are mostly located at the island's edge. The figures, which were later moved to stone platforms close to the coast, are thought to have been carved at the Rano Raraku quarry inland. There, they were frequently placed side by side, facing the island's interior like eternal guardians. It would have been difficult to move a moai with limited means, even though the quarry is little under a mile from the coast.

962 moai were examined by archaeologists Terry Hunt of the University of Arizona and Carl Lipo of Binghamton University. They paid special attention to 62 megaliths that seemed to have been abandoned in the area between the quarry and its ultimate location. In contrast to those who managed to reach their ahu, or platforms, they showed evidence of mechanical process damage rather than intentional placement.

They sought to determine what that would have looked like by examining oral stories from the Rapa Nui that describe moai "walking" from the quarry. The individuals who transported them are believed to have used ropes, and they would have advanced each monolith by making coordinated side-to-side movements.

The incline, centre of mass, and D-shaped bases of each moai are crucial components for this to function. The spherical portion acted as a pivot, and the megaliths' modest inclination, which ranged from six to fifteen degrees, shifted the centre of mass along the front edge of the base. With movers holding precisely positioned ropes, the statue would tumble forward when tilted to the side, creating a rocking motion that caused the statue to "walk." Once in place, they were cut to eliminate the portion that created the inclination, adding stability.

The researchers employed a 4.79-ton replica moai to validate their theory. They were able to move the moai 328 feet in 40 minutes with the help of a group of 18 volunteers, including 10 on a rear rope, 4 on the left rope, and 4 on the right. However, fewer people may have relocated Rapa Nui's residents over a longer time frame.

According to Lipo and Hunt's research, the Rapa Nui people had a highly developed knowledge of physics, especially resonance principles. Furthermore, it disproves the notion that they caused their own demise by overpopulating and deforestation the island, which people had assumed because of the enormous amount of labour required to create and transport the hundreds of statues. It also shows that they accomplished great things with a comparatively small population.