Researchers, including Binghamton University faculty, demonstrated that Rapa Nui’s moai statues could be moved using ropes in a rocking “walking” motion. High-resolution 3D models and a 4.35-ton replica moved 100 meters with just 18 people, revealing the ingenuity of the islanders
Moai statues were built to “walk” upright using a rhythmic rocking motion. PIC COURTESY/Carl Lipo
For generations, scientists have been fascinated by how the ancient people of Rapa Nui managed to move the island’s enormous moai statues. Now, through a mix of physics, 3D modeling, and hands-on experiments, researchers, including faculty from Binghamton University, New York, have shown that the statues could quite literally “walk” with the help of ropes and a surprisingly small group of people.
After examining nearly 1000 of the stone figures, Binghamton University anthropologist Carl Lipo and University of Arizona researcher Terry Hunt concluded that the islanders probably used ropes to rock the statues from side to side, guiding them forward in a zigzag pattern along specially constructed roads.
To understand how even larger statues might have moved, the researchers built high-resolution 3D models of the moai and pinpointed specific design traits—such as broad D-shaped bases and a forward tilt—that made the statues more stable and easier to rock in a walking motion.
The team then constructed a 4.35-ton replica moai featuring the same forward-leaning design. With a team of just 18 people, they successfully moved the replica 100 meters in only 40 minutes, achieving far better results than earlier transport experiments using other methods.
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