Rock Heads of Easter Island have Bodies!?

[Glacier]

For years, the 887 massive sculpted heads of Easter Island have been considered an enigma. The mystery has literally deepened ever since an excavation started in October 2011 revealed the ancient heads that dot the island are actually full-figured statues, buried up to their necks in soil.

[1nick]

Wow,it's crazy that after all this time no ever thought to dig down abit.

[normaM]

wow.. at first I thought it was a joke, wonder why someone decided to dig?

[1nick]

Looking at the second pic,maybe the top of his G-string was sticking out of the ground at it piqued an archeologist's curiosity.

[normaM]

yea, see some bodies in thongs I could stand to bury in the sand at the beach.

[JLives]

I didn't know that. It ws an amazing feat already but wow.

[Glacier]

It looks like the soil is layered around bodies as if the Ocean were repeatedly depositing sediment around the statues.

[DeepEnd]

I read, National Geographic I think, years ago that they knew they were full figure and buried on purpose.

It was a great issue, lots of diagrams of how they carved, transported and buried. A copy from the fifties maybe?

[DeepEnd]

The B/W photo is from the 1913-16 expedition. Looks like whom ever took the color one was standing beside the the same moi (but not) only a hundred years after it was uncovered

[Glacier]

Those don't look the same statue. (the lines between old and new don't quite match). It is true that people have known they all had bodies, but the recent excavations have surprised everyone in that they all seem to have bodies. Some of the statues are above ground.

A total of 887 monolithic statues has been located by the survey to date on Easter Island.

• 397 are still in situ in quarries at the Rano Raraku central production center
• Fully 288 statues (32% of 887) were successfully transported to a variety of image ahu locations
• Another 92 are recorded as "in transport - 47 of these lying in various positions on prepared roads or tracks outside the Rano Raraku zone.

What is a new discovery is that so many of the statues are buried into the earth. Many theories exist, but they seem to all fall a little weak. Some say they sunk into the earth, but this doesn't make sense because many didn't. Plus, they are all anchored to bedrock.

Others say they were buried on purpose, but this doesn't make sense either because many are not buried. Plus, The soil is layered and sedimentary, which would mean these stone statues were flooded out at one time with layer upon layer of sand and gravel accumulating. I suspect that they will find some statues completely buried into the ground.



Around 70 intact giant red hats, which each weigh several tons, have been discovered

Hmm, where have I seen those hats before? Oh ya...




Less than one third of all carved moai actually made it to a final ceremonial ahu site. Was this due to the inherent difficulties in transporting them? Were the ones that remain in the quarry (45%) deemed culturally unworthy of transport? Were they originally intended to remain in place on the quarry slopes? Or had the islanders run out of the resources necessary to complete the Herculean task of carving and moving the moai?

I would contend that some sort of cataclysmic event put an end to their operation. Perhaps a tidal wave/flood, or perhaps an invasion.

It's a great mystery that my never be solved. An important question to remember to ask, hey Queenie?

[Queen K]

To the last question. Yes, I don't want to know my purpose in life, or why certain things happened, I want the Easter Island mystery unravelled for me. Amongst many others.

Are there no cemetaries on Easter Island? No burial grounds? Nothing to test for DNA?

At any rate, I have to put going there on my bucket list. Very interesting place.

[DeepEnd]

[Captain Awesome]

[grammafreddy]

Can just anyone go there? Are these stones protected in any way?

[GordonH]

Can just anyone go there? Are these stones protected in any way?

Flights out of Lima Peru or Santiago de Chile via http://www.lan.com/en_un/sitio_personas/index.html

Around trip airfare only $2,500+ from Kelowna.

So I guess answer is yes anyone with money burning a hole in their pocket can go.