The moai were more than art; they were memorials to important figures. They showed the beliefs and spirit of Rapa Nui society. The effort to carve and erect these statues showed the unity and ...

Who built the Moai? How did they move such huge statues without the use of modern ... But now, new evidence is painting a radically different picture – one of hardship, maltreatment and ...

Archaeologist Jo Anne Van Tilburg, who has studied the moai for many years, believes the statues may have been created in the image of various paramount chiefs. They were not individualized ...

Most of its residents live in the main town of Hanga Roa. The island is famous for its enormous stone statues known as moai. The statues, which are carved from volcanic rock, stand at 13 feet high ...

Among the many secrets buried in Easter Island prehistory is the question of how the Rapanui people transported the multi-ton statues, or moai, from their quarries to their final ceremonial ahu ...