Easter Island is one of the greatest mysteries of the world. Its native name is Rapa Nui, and is located in the Southern Pacific Ocean around 1,200 miles from Pitcairn and 2,300 miles from Chile.
What is Strange About it?
This island is only 63 square miles but stands 887 head statues made of stone. These mysterious statues are called the Moai. They have long noses, wide chins, rectangular ears, heavy brows, and deeply set eyes and were carved between the 13th and 15th centuries. In May 2012, scientists discovered that these giant heads all had an attached body that was buried into the ground. The biggest of these statues has a height of 33 feet and 90 tons. An incomplete statue on the island is estimated to be 70 feet tall and around 297 tons. More than 90% of the figures are carved from a material known as tuff, or compressed volcanic ash. People discovered only one group of statues faces outland – towards the ocean. There is also a unique statue on the island – it is the only statue found in a kneeling position. Its name is Tukuturi, and scientists believe that it depicts an ancient singer at the Festival of Rui.
So who created the world-famous huge stone heads? Did they attend any particular purpose? And where did their creators come from and where did they vanish?
Was it the Aliens?
Throughout the many years of wondering, many theories have been developed to explain the secret of Easter Island. One of the most popular among them is the statues were made and moved by aliens. Even though this may satisfy your curiosity, the theory has been debunked. These sculptures are made of compacted volcanic ash from an extinct volcano on the island named Rano Raraku, not some extraterrestrial material brought by aliens.
Image from: https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/what-happens-next-if-we-find-proof-space-aliens-ncna788511
How were these Statues Moved?
Researchers in the 80s built a statue replica to see if they could move it using only the material available to the natives and failed. Later on, an American researcher and archaeologist successfully moved a 10-ton copy of the statue. Decades later, an American research group found a way to move these statues, which explained everything. they tied ropes to the figure’s head and had a line of people on either side pulling the statue back and forth in a walking motion which moved it slowly but surely, pulling a full-size statue for 330 feet. This method also explains why Rapanui folktale says that the figures were ‘walking’ with the help of magic.
How did the Natives Make So Many Statues?
Later research shows that the island could have supported more than 17,500 people. 19% of the land could grow sweet potatoes, which was the primary source of food for natives. Meanwhile, people also had a lot of access to fish on the island.
How did the Natives Disappear?
At first, researchers thought the reason was ecocide – the locals were cutting down a significant amount of vegetation to make room for moving and placing the statues, thinking that they were going to grow back. But this caused a lack of food, which resulted in starvation and cannibalism. This theory was later proven wrong as the natives resembled successful agricultural engineers as they fertilized soil with volcanic rock.
Other researchers found that these people have been living on the island for centuries without a problem, but when the Europeans started to come, their population began to decrease. During the 19th century, South American raids in the quest for slaves were very persistent on the island, and half of the native population was taken away from the island. The European traders also brought new diseases that the locals had no treatment or protection for. All of this added together led to the catastrophic deterioration of the native people.
Written by The Lost Man
The Anonymous Helpers (TAH)
Komentarze