One of the puzzles of Easter Island--Rapa Nui to its residents--is how the enormous statues called moai were made and dragged to their locations without the benefit of draft animals. Recent research has focused on Easter Island's quarries, where the majority of the statues were carved out of volcanic tuff.
Rano Raraku Quarry on Easter Island. Photo by Anoldent
What scholars have found is that these quarries can teach us quite a bit about the manufacturing process: how the statues were carved, and moved out of the quarries along specially constructed roadways. The details of roads and carving methods seen at the Rano Raraku Quarry give us an intimate view of the every day lives of the Rapa Nui residents.
- Rano Raraku Quarry on Easter Island
- Quarries as an Archaeological Site Type
- Easter Island in Situ: A Photo Essay
- Easter Island: Recent Research
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