Easter Island is famous for its giant monumental statues, called moai, built some 800 years ago. The volcanic rock used for the moai came from a quarry site called Rano Raraku. Archaeologists have created a high-resolution interactive 3D model of the quarry site to learn more about the processes used to create the moai. (You can explore the full interactive model here.) According to a paper published in the journal PLoS ONE, the model shows that there were numerous independent groups, probably family clans, that created the moai, rather than a centralized management system.
āYou can see things that you couldnāt actually see on the ground. You can see tops and sides and all kinds of areas that just would never be able to walk to,ā said co-author Carl Lipo of Binghamton University. āWe can say, āHere, go look at it.ā If you want to see the different kinds of carving, fly around and see stuff there. Weāre documenting something that really has needed to be documented, but in a way thatās really comprehensive and shareable.ā
Lipo is one of the foremost experts on the Easter Island moai. In October, we reported on Lipoās experimental confirmationābased on 3D modeling of the physics and new field tests to re-create that motionāthat Easter Islandās people transported the statues in a vertical position, with workers using ropes to essentially āwalkā the moai onto their platforms. To explain the presence of so many moai, the assumption has been that the island was once home to tens of thousands of people.
This is a fascinating topic! The history behind the moai and the small clans that created them is intriguing. It’s amazing how 3D modeling can help us better understand and appreciate such monumental achievements. Thanks for sharing this insight!