How did the Moai get buried?
The Moai monoliths, carved from stone found on the island, are between 1,100 and 1,500 CE. These events enveloped the statues and gradually buried them to their heads as the islands naturally weathered and eroded through the centuries.
Has Easter Island been excavated?
Archaeological surveys were carried out in 1886, 1914, and 1934; archaeological excavations were initiated in 1955. The excavations revealed that three distinct cultural periods are identifiable on the island.
Do Easter Island heads really have bodies?
As a part of the Easter Island Statue Project, the team excavated two moai and discovered that each one had a body, proving, as the team excitedly explained in a letter, “that the ‘heads’ on the slope here are, in fact, full but incomplete statues.”
Who excavated Easter Island?
Jo Anne Van Tilburg
Two Moai are shown during excavations by Jo Anne Van Tilburg and her team at Rano Raraku quarry on Rapa Nui, better known as Easter Island.
Where are the moai located on Easter Island?
Credit: Easter Island Statue Project Two Moai are shown during excavations by Jo Anne Van Tilburg and her team at Rano Raraku quarry on Rapa Nui, better known as Easter Island. Rapa Nui (or Easter Island, as it is commonly known) is home to the enigmatic Moai, stone monoliths that have stood watch over the island landscape for hundreds of years.
Where was moai found in Rano Raraku Island?
Van Tilburg, in partnership with members of the local community, heads the first legally permitted excavations of Moai in Rano Raraku since 1955. Cristián Arévalo Pakarati, a noted Rapanui artist, is project co-director. The soils in Rano Raraku are probably the richest on the island, certainly over the long term, Sherwood said.
Where are the statues on Easter Island located?
Introduction This report is prepared as part of a numbered series that describes the excavations conducted by the Easter Island Statue Project in Rano Raraku Quarry Zone, Interior Region, Quarry 02, Statues RR-001-156 and RR-001-157. The team is composed of an all-Rapanui excavation staff directed by the project Co-directors.
Where are the petroglyphs found on Easter Island?
Easter Island Statue Project Petroglyphs, or rock art, are seen on the back of Moai 157, which was re-exposed during the excavation of two Moai by Jo Anne Van Tilburg and her team at Rano Raraku quarry, Rapa Nui.
