Mystery of statues solved

Around 2,300 miles west of South America sits the small island of Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island. The island is home to hundreds of stone statues, called moai, some of them 10 metres tall. The statues were built between AD1000 and AD1650 by settlers from eastern Polynesia, and some of the figures wear hats that weigh up to 13 tonnes. Scientists have long wondered how ancient people managed to hoist such heavy things onto the statues. The statues are carved from volcanic rock from a quarry on the island; the hats are carved from another type of rock called red scoria, and come from the other side of the island. Sean Hixon heads a team of experts who believe that the rock hats were rolled across Rapa Nui…

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The Week Junior (Digital) - 1 Issue, No. 132

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