What is the mystery behind Easter Island?

Deforestation, slavery and rats were all factors in the Pacific island’s population decline. Most people have heard of the decimation of the population of Easter Island (also called Rapa Nui) and have seen pictures of the massive stone statues (moai) that line the coastline.

What makes Easter Island so special?

The island is most famous for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, called moai, which were created by the early Rapa Nui people. In 1995, UNESCO named Easter Island a World Heritage Site, with much of the island protected within Rapa Nui National Park. In 1966, the Rapa Nui were granted Chilean citizenship.

Is the Easter Island Mystery solved?

A team of researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), however, may have cracked the Rapa Nui mystery. A new study published by Jo Anne Van Tilburg of the Easter Island Statue Project claims to have deciphered the meaning behind the stone heads or Moai.

What are the theories of Easter Island?

One popular theory which has stood for many years was that the roads on Easter Island were used to drag the stones along and to take them to their spots. This was given weight by the fact that many finished old stones were found discarded at the side of many of these roads, making it seem plausible that they would have been dragged along in this fashion.

What is the story behind Easter Island?

The Story of Easter Island Easter Island (Rapu Nui) is considered to be the world’s msot isolated habitable land (Wolcott and Conrad 2011). The island is 64 miles², and lies in the Pacific ocean . When Jacob Roggeveen first discovered the island in 1722 he found 47 species of higher plants native to Easter and no animals bigger than insects.

Do Easter Island heads have bodies?

The World-Famous Easter Island Heads Have Bodies Buried Underground. If you’re familiar with Easter Island, you’ve undoubtedly heard of the famous Easter Island heads. While these massive monoliths are among the world’s most famous sculptures, their household name is actually a misnomer, as each figure, or moai, also has a hidden body.

What are the statues on Easter Island?

The Moai statues are also known as ‘ moai ’, ‘ Easter Island heads ’ and ‘ Easter Island statues ’, are monolithic human figures carved by the Rapa Nui people between the years 1250 and 1500 CE. The Moai statues are located on Easter Island, or ‘Rapa Nui’ as the indigenous call it,…