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Archaeology & History

Did Easter Island statues 'walk' ?

By T.K. Randall
June 22, 2012 · Comment icon 30 comments

Image Credit: Wikipedia
A new theory suggests that the giant stone heads might have been 'walked' upright along the roads.
Until now it was believed that the islanders would have rolled the giant moai statues in to position using logs, but now a new theory is taking hold suggesting that the statues could have been moved along the island's roads in an upright position. In a practical demonstration of the technique, a group of 18 people were able to move a stone head weighing 5 tons along a road using nothing more than a few pieces of rope.

The method may help explain why there are so many broken heads left at the roadside on Easter Island, it also helps to add some credence to the legendary tales of 'walking heads' on the island.
The startling claim comes from archaeologists Terry Hunt of the University of Hawaii and Carl Lipo of California State University Long Beach, who showed how as few as 18 people could move a 5-ton statue with just some ropes and hopes.


Source: Fox News | Comments (30)

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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #21 Posted by Elq 12 years ago
Researchers Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo test a new theory that suggests how ancient Easter Islanders may have used ropes to “walk” the moai to their platforms. “The statues walked,” Easter Islanders say. Archaeologists are still trying to figure out how—and whether their story is a cautionary tale of environmental disaster or a celebration of human ingenuity. http://quasi-mundo.com/2012/07/scientists-make-easter-island-statue-walk-video/
Comment icon #22 Posted by blackdogsun 12 years ago
Heyerdahl tried the same thing back in 1986 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M2zXPR9h3w
Comment icon #23 Posted by CRIPTIC CHAMELEON 12 years ago
Researchers Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo test a new theory that suggests how ancient Easter Islanders may have used ropes to “walk” the moai to their platforms. “The statues walked,” Easter Islanders say. Archaeologists are still trying to figure out how—and whether their story is a cautionary tale of environmental disaster or a celebration of human ingenuity. http://quasi-mundo.c...tue-walk-video/ Good theory, but if this is true they would be able to find that the ground would have been flattened and/or leveled to be able to walk these statues. A good GPR [ground penertrating radar] wo... [More]
Comment icon #24 Posted by Earl.Of.Trumps 12 years ago
pretty interesting on flat ground it seems like an Ok way to go. But Ireally wonder about getting said stone out of the quarry
Comment icon #25 Posted by Magiclass 12 years ago
What is it about the puppet archeologists? They can't get their heads around the fact that even with all of our tech, we couldn't move the damn things either! They are really grasping at straws with this theory, and they won't come out with what they really think!
Comment icon #26 Posted by taniwha.nz 12 years ago
moving a stone isnt rocket science...
Comment icon #27 Posted by Parsec 12 years ago
moving a stone isnt rocket science... Indeed, it's rock science. I'd like to see you moving a statue (not a simple "stone") so heavy, for so long distances, without our technology and without damaging it. As for the theory exposed, I agree with DieChecker, if I were in them, I wouldn't have risked to damage or destroy one of the Moai with such an unstable technique. We don't know what they represented, but surely they were very important to the islanders: would you risk the most precious thing you have trying to make it "walk" to the point where it has to stay? Further, it's not the same tryin... [More]
Comment icon #28 Posted by Earl.Of.Trumps 12 years ago
What is it about the puppet archeologists? They can't get their heads around the fact that even with all of our tech, we couldn't move the damn things either! They are really grasping at straws with this theory, and they won't come out with what they really think! it is when said stone is 72' high and 145 tons. that was the largets ever made. no wonder why they left it in the quary! LOL just as an aside, I wonder what method of moving that one the 9 miles they had in mind when they cut it, anyway? it surely wasn't to walk or "daddy" it.
Comment icon #29 Posted by Idano 12 years ago
What you fail to realize is over the years the statues have been buried by buildup of dirt and sand. If you took the island coast down to the level it was when they were placed there, you might find remnants of roads. Central American Temples were just hills until the dirt and vines were removed. Maybe there could be roads. But hey good luck walking 5 tons..I don't believe it.
Comment icon #30 Posted by Abramelin 12 years ago
Here it is: The Mysteries of Easter Island - Jean Michel Schwartz / 1975, chapter 6: "Transporting the Statues". . The -L- sort of resurrected this thread by starting a new one about the same topic in another forum here. And that's how I remembered I once forgot to add a copy of 2 pages of the book:
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