Roughly 950 moai once stood as complete figures with bodies extending below ground level. Some reached over 30 feet tall, with one unfinished statue weighing an estimated 180 tons 🤯 The island's population has been debated by researchers - while older theories suggested decline following European contact in 1722, recent studies challenge the collapse narrative. Roggeveen was first European arrival, recording diverse population with varied heights and coloring
Moai statues originally full figures; population crashed after contact
Chile, Easter IslandGeneral
Key facts
- 950 moai statues originally created as full figures
- Largest moai measured 35 feet or more in height
- One unfinished moai in quarry would weigh 180 tons
- Population declined from 10,000+ to 111 after European contact
- Roggeveen was first European to arrive, naming island on Easter Sunday 1722
- Log recorded diverse population: tall and short people, various hair colors and skin tones
Site mentioned
Sources
Fact Check: Was Largest Easter Island Moai Statue Never Erected?newsweek.com
A viral Reddit post has claimed that one of the Easter Island Moai statues was carved, but was never erected, and would have been 72 feet tall.
NOVA Online | Secrets of Easter Island | Stone Giants - PBSpbs.org
Photo of Moai Stone Giants On average, they stand 13 feet high and weigh 14 tons, human heads-on-torsos carved in the male form from rough hardened volcanic ash ...
Easter Island's society might not have collapsed - Field Museumfieldmuseum.org
These statues, or moai, often referred to as “Easter Island heads,” are actually full-body figures that became partially buried over time. The ...
Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Moai - Smarthistorysmarthistory.org
Rapa Nui moai cast in the Pacific Galleries of the American Museum of Natural History, NYC, made during the 1934–45 AMNH expedition to Rapa Nui.
The truth behind the 'walking' statues of Easter Island - BBCbbc.com
In a remote patch of the Pacific Ocean lies Rapa Nui, otherwise known as Easter Island, and its colossal Moai.
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