Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – For years, researchers have been intrigued by the mystery of how the ancient inhabitants of Rapa Nui managed to move their massive moai statues.
Recent studies, involving a blend of physics, 3D modeling, and practical experiments conducted by a team that includes faculty from Binghamton University, State University of New York, have shed light on this enigma. The findings reveal that these statues were transported using ropes and relatively few people in a manner that made them appear to “walk.”
By examining nearly 1,000 moai statues, Professor Carl Lipo from Binghamton University and Terry Hunt from the University of Arizona discovered that the Rapa Nui people likely maneuvered these enormous figures in a zig-zag pattern along specially constructed roads.
Previously demonstrated through experimental evidence by Lipo and his team was the notion that these large statues were moved upright with a rocking motion from their quarry to ceremonial platforms—contradicting earlier theories suggesting they were transported lying flat on wooden devices.
“Once you get it moving, it isn’t hard at all—people are pulling with one arm. It conserves energy, and it moves really quickly,” said Lipo. “The hard part is getting it rocking in the first place. The question is, if it’s really large, what would it take? Are the things that we saw experimentally consistent with what we would expect from a physics perspective?”
This diagram illustrates the “walking” technique whereby moai were moved along prepared roads through alternating lateral rope pulls while maintaining a forward lean of 5–15° from vertical. Credit: Carl Lipo.
Lipo’s team investigated the movement of larger statues by developing high-resolution 3D models of the moai. They identified unique design elements, such as wide D-shaped bases and a forward lean, which could facilitate movement in a rocking, zig-zagging pattern.
To validate their hypothesis, they constructed a 4.35-ton replica moai featuring this “forward-lean” design. Remarkably, with only 18 participants, they successfully transported the statue over a distance of 100 meters in just 40 minutes—demonstrating significant efficiency compared to earlier vertical transport methods.
“The physics makes sense,” said Lipo. “What we saw experimentally actually works. And as it gets bigger, it still works. All the attributes that we see about moving gigantic ones only get more and more consistent the bigger and bigger they get, because it becomes the only way you could move it.”
Example of a road moai that fell and was abandoned after an attempt to re-erect it by excavating under its base, leaving it partially buried at an angle. Credit: Carl Lipo.
Supporting this theory are the roads of Rapa Nui, which measure 4.5 meters in width and feature a concave cross-section, making them ideal for stabilizing the statues during transport.
According to Lipo, “Every time they’re moving a statue, it appears they are constructing a road. The road is integral to moving the statue.”
Observations reveal overlapping roads and numerous parallel versions, suggesting that paths were cleared in sequences: clearing one path, moving the statue forward, then clearing another. This indicates significant effort was dedicated to preparing these routes. Currently, no other explanation accounts for how the moai were transported; thus, Lipo challenges others to provide alternative evidence or theories.
“Find some evidence that shows it couldn’t be walking. Because nothing we’ve seen anywhere disproves that,” said Lipo. “In fact, everything we ever see and ever thought of keeps strengthening the argument.”
Lipo said Rapa Nui is notorious for wild theories backed by zero evidence. This research is an example of putting a theory to the test.
A research team including Binghamton University archaeologist Carl Lipo has confirmed via 3D modeling and field experiments that the ancient people of Rapa Nui “walked” the iconic moai statues. Credit: Carl Lipo.
“People have spun all kinds of tales about stuff that’s plausible or possible in some way, but they never go about evaluating the evidence to show that, in fact, you can learn about the past and explain the record that you see in ways that are fully scientific,” said Lipo. “One of the steps is simply saying, ‘Look, we can build an answer here.'”
Lipo said that the research also honors the people of Rapa Nui, who achieved a monumental engineering feat with limited resources.
See also: More Archaeology News
“It shows that the Rapa Nui people were incredibly smart. They figured this out,” said Lipo. “They’re doing it the way that’s consistent with the resources they have. So it really gives honor to those people, saying, look at what they were able to achieve, and we have a lot to learn from them in these principles.”
The study was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science
Written by Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com Staff Writer