Easter Island's Moai Statues May Have Walked to Where They Now Stand

"In 2012, a US research team succeeded in propping up a 4.35-ton replica of a moai statue and making it "walk." The technique, in which two teams using ropes tugged the statue in opposite directions to teeter it forward while a third team ensured it wouldn't topple over, challenged the conventional theories that moai were moved in a horizontal position."

"Lipo and his team systematically surveyed 962 moai statues on Easter Island, focusing primarily on 62 found along ancient roads. They recently published a paper providing strong evidence that moai were transported in an upright position. The team also succeeded in moving an exact replica of roadside moai 100 meters in 40 minutes with only 18 people, a far more efficient result than those of previous experiments."

"The study discovered that moai statues positioned along Rapa Nui's roads have common characteristics. The broad D-shaped base and forward leaning design of the statues optimized the moai for "walking," even as they increased in size. In fact, moai abandoned by the side of the road were found to have imbalanced centers of gravity and show signs of toppling over during transport."

Moai statues on Rapa Nui weigh several tons and are scattered across the island. Experimental work made a 4.35-ton replica "walk" upright by coordinated rope tugs that teetered the statue forward while preventing toppling. A systematic survey of 962 moai, including 62 along ancient roads, found consistent D-shaped bases and forward lean that optimize upright "walking" even as size increases. Roadside abandoned moai show imbalanced centers of gravity and signs of toppling during transport. Replicas of roadside moai were moved 100 meters in 40 minutes by 18 people, and ancient road dimensions align with an upright-transport technique.

Read at WIRED