Once
the statues were reasonably complete, they then had to be transported across
the island to the platforms prepared for them. This involved a trek of 14
miles in some cases. How were these massive Moai moved to the sites? Barring
any extraterrestrial influence it seems likely that they were rolled along
the ancient roads that crisscrossed the island on logs lubricated with the
oils from palm trees. Some suggest that they were moved in an upright position
and kept stable by crews manning ropes. This mode would verify the island
legends of the statues "walking" to their sites. From a distance
seeing one of these great Moai moving along the road bobbing up and down
as the logs moved underneath would surely have looked like a statue moving
under its own power with a procession alongside it. What a sight that would
have been!
However,
recent computer simulations by Jo Anne von Tilburg at UCLA have shown
that it would have been much simpler to position the Moai in a horizontal
position on two large logs and then roll the whole unit along on other
logs placed perpendicular to it. Using this method Van Tilburg calculated
that an average moai could have been moved from the quarry to Ahu Akivi
in less than 5 days, using approximately 70 men. Her theories were recently
put to the test in a successful experiment to move a moai replica on Easter
Island sponsored and filmed by Nova (see Resources section)
Once the journey
was complete the Moai were positioned atop great platforms called ahu.
Built at the edge of the ocean, the ahu required just as much engineering
know-how and raw labor as the statue construction itself. It is here that
the Easter Islanders' stonework skills can fully be appreciated. As seen
in the images to the right of Ahu Naunau and Ahu Tahai, massive blocks and
tons of fill were required to build the supports for the moai. Although
they were an incredible engineering feat, most of the ahu built were less
than elegant constructions. At one mysterious site, however, it was much
different.
The
stonework of Ahu Vai Uri (right) is compared to that of Ahu Vinapu (below)
on the southern shore near Rano Kau. The detail shot shows the incredible
precision in the stone fittings. It was this precision, so similar to the
stonework done by the Incas, that gave Thor Heyerdahl the idea that the
Easter Islanders had come from South America in reed boats on the prevailing
currents. Stonework of this complexity had not been seen in Polynesia, but
it was common in Peru. It's impossible to look at that site and not think
of the exact type of stone fitting which is so common in sites like Machu
Picchu. Most archaeologists consider the similarities a coincidence. If
so, it is a remarkable one.
Soon
ahu with erected moai were installed on all corners of the island, until
over one thousand had been carved, and the population of the island also
continued to grow. For decades the competition to build the biggest and
best moai went on, and different ahu - each belonging to a different clan
- formed an almost unbroken line along the coast of Easter Island. The culture
had reached its zenith. And then something went terribly wrong . . .
Once
the statues were reasonably complete, they then had to be transported across
the island to the platforms prepared for them. This involved a trek of 14
miles in some cases. How were these massive Moai moved to the sites? Barring
any extraterrestrial influence it seems likely that they were rolled along
the ancient roads that crisscrossed the island on logs lubricated with the
oils from palm trees. Some suggest that they were moved in an upright position
and kept stable by crews manning ropes. This mode would verify the island
legends of the statues "walking" to their sites. From a distance
seeing one of these great Moai moving along the road bobbing up and down
as the logs moved underneath would surely have looked like a statue moving
under its own power with a procession alongside it. What a sight that would
have been!
However,
recent computer simulations by Jo Anne von Tilburg at UCLA have shown
that it would have been much simpler to position the Moai in a horizontal
position on two large logs and then roll the whole unit along on other
logs placed perpendicular to it. Using this method Van Tilburg calculated
that an average moai could have been moved from the quarry to Ahu Akivi
in less than 5 days, using approximately 70 men. Her theories were recently
put to the test in a successful experiment to move a moai replica on Easter
Island sponsored and filmed by Nova (see Resources section)
The
stonework of Ahu Vai Uri (right) is compared to that of Ahu Vinapu (below)
on the southern shore near Rano Kau. The detail shot shows the incredible
precision in the stone fittings. It was this precision, so similar to the
stonework done by the Incas, that gave Thor Heyerdahl the idea that the
Easter Islanders had come from South America in reed boats on the prevailing
currents. Stonework of this complexity had not been seen in Polynesia, but
it was common in Peru. It's impossible to look at that site and not think
of the exact type of stone fitting which is so common in sites like Machu
Picchu. Most archaeologists consider the similarities a coincidence. If
so, it is a remarkable one.
