RANDY OLSON_MM8059_1477353.JPG
An ancient Moai statue stands silently under the stars and night sky on Easter Island, the most remote inhabited island in the world.
Monolithic figures were carved by the Rapa Nui people between approximately 1250 and 1700 A.D.. Many of the more than 900 statues are still at a quarry and some are lie along the roads. But hundreds of the 33 foot high moai weighing more than 80 tons of volcanic tuff were transported and set on stone platforms around the island's perimeter.
It is believed that the statues may have "walked" to their destinations by workers using ropes to rock them side to side although some archaeologists disagree thinking they may have been rolled on logs although the island is now treeless.
The nearest population center is Chile (2300 miles) and the nearest Polynesian center in the opposite direction is Tahiti (2600 miles). Easter Island, (Rapa Nui, Isla de Pascua) is famous for Moai, tall statues carved out of rock that stand guard
- Copyright
- RANDY OLSON
- Image Size
- 11202x16986 / 331.4MB
- Keywords
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ancient civilization, antiquities, antiquities and artifacts, architecture and art, artifacts, color image, easter island, famous place, human representation, illuminated, indigenous culture, international landmark, male likeness, moai, mystery, night, night views, no people, oceanic architecture and art, outdoors, pacific islands, past, photography, polynesia, polynesian antiquities and artifacts, polynesian architecture and art, polynesian culture, rano raraku, rano raraku crater, Rapa Nui, rock, sculpture, single object, sky, stars, statues, travel destinations, unesco world heritage sites, volcanic rock, world heritage sites
- Contained in galleries
- Easter Island_National Geographic magazine 7/2012
