Answering Easter Island’s Greatest Mystery : Archaeological Institute of America Lecture

.Easter Island (Rapa Nui) has long held the interests of scientists, travelers, and a curious public.  Among the persistent “mysteries” is the question of how hundreds of multi-ton megalithic statues (moai) were transported to every part of the island. Researchers have proposed methods using sleds and rollers of various configurations to move moai in a horizontal position.  Others have proposed various means of transport in a vertical position. Over several years of field and analytic research, we have documented important variations in details of moai form relating to their successful transport.  Using 3-D modeling and experimentation, we show how moai form converges with the physics of movement. Our results explain much of the archaeological record previously unrecognized, resolving this longstanding “mystery.”  Our results also align with Rapa Nui oral traditions.Register Here for Zoom   Presented by .Terry L. Hunt, Ph.D.Dean, The University of Arizona Honors CollegeProfessor of Anthropology