The Wonders of Easter Island

Trying to grasp the idea of how ancient people carved and lifted up massive stone structures at locations around the world leaves me in awe. The other day I was reminded of how fascinating such structures are when I was flipping through channels and came across the movie Night at the Museum. In the film, Ben Stiller comes across a museum of artifacts that come to life at night. Among the artifacts is an ancient stone head from Easter Island who can speak and often warns Ben Stiller's character of problems that develop among the other artifacts. However, the ancient people of Easter Island did not have anyone to warn them of how severely they were damaging their island.

Easter Island is about 2,200 miles off the coast of Chile in South America. Although rarely visited, it is known for the hundreds of stone statues, referred to as Moai, that create a perimeter around nearly the entire island. The Moai statues range anywhere from 12-70 feet tall and the heaviest recorded weighs approximately 160 tons. The original inhabitants are thought to be of Polynesian decent and arrived around 318 CE, erecting the first statues near 700 CE. The statues creating what appears to be a border around the island sit on platforms known as 'ahu' which are spaced about a half a mile apart. Each ahu seats multiple Moai statues of which their use and significance are unclear. Scholars suggest that they are a symbol of authority and power between people of the island, and that the people who raised them believed they were a source of spiritual power. Researchers who have surveyed the island report that 288 statues were successfully placed on ahu platforms by the ancient people, 92 remain scattered around the island not having made it to their final ahu destination, and 397 statues in various phases of construction lie in the quarry where they are carved.

When the ancient people arrived to the island, it was extremely plentiful. Vast forests and rich bird life were prevalent until approximately 1400 CE when the environment was completely destroyed due to overuse. The rich resources the island provided gave way to a growing population, leaving no time for environmental renewal. There is debate over whether such environmental decline lead to the societal collapse of the ancient people on the island. Martin Gray, who conducts archeological research, insists that there are other aspects to consider such as clashing encounters with European explorers which evoked a series of slave raids. He goes into great detail about the debate here.

In fact, debate surrounds multiple aspects of Easter Island. Researchers know that the statues were carved in a quarry near one of the island’s volcanoes, Rano Raraku, but how they were transported to their current locations is uncertain. Many scholars claim the ancient people must have rolled them, keeping them upright, on a series of logs to their final destination. Meanwhile, others declare that the statues were transported laying down and then lifted using a system of levers. Researchers debate the origin of the people on Easter Island as well. Most recognize that the first people on the island were of Polynesian decent and believe they could have been lost at sea on a voyage from surrounding islands. Although some scholars disagree such as Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas, arguing that Easter Island is one of the highest peaks of an enormous landmass that may have been submerged when the ice caps melted, forcing people to the area. They discuss the topic in their book Uriel's Machine.

We will probably never be sure of the answers to many of these debated topics. It is such uncertainty that makes the ways of ancient people so fascinating to me. Too bad we do not have ancient talking artifacts to fill us in on what really happened.

Sources:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/workshop/4328400.html
http://www.world-mysteries.com/easter_island.htm