Easter Island is a tiny dot in the south Pacific Ocean, first colonized by Polynesian sailors perhaps as early as 700 AD. The island is known mostly for the moai--huge sculptured heads carved from the volcanic material of the Rano Raraku quarry. The finished moai range from two to 10 meters (6 to 30 feet) tall; they often have inlaid eyes of coral or shell and sometimes they wear red hats.
Moai Head in Rubble, Easter Island. Photo by Phil Whiteside
Although Easter Island is probably one of the best known megalithic sites on the planet, you often don't see photos of more than one or two statues--seen one, you've seen them all, right? But the moai were placed in different environmental settings, in groups and individually, and I think that's pretty interesting. The Easter Island In Situ photo essay looks at a few of the hundreds of moai that still stand on Easter Island, some 500-1000 years after they were carved.
Easter Island
- Easter Island in Situ: Moai in their Landscape
- Easter Island summary of recent research
- Archaeology Quiz: Easter Island
- Terry Hunt on Genocide at Easter Island
- Visiting Easter Island, South America for Visitors
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