Scientists have new questions about moai statues
A mysterious new Easter Island moai statue has been discovered in a volcano crater. The statue, 1.6 meters high, is described as «full-bodied, with recognizable features, but without a clear definition.»
New moai statue – one of the iconic monolithic statues of Easter Island – was found at the bottom of a dry lake in the crater of a volcano, said the local community that runs the site on the Chilean island.
Moai – these are characteristic monolithic carved stone figures with elongated faces and no legs, which were mainly quarried from tuff, a type of volcanic ash, from the Rano Raraku volcano. These monuments are believed to represent the Polynesian ancestors of the Easter Islanders and were once associated with ritual activities, forming a hub for local communities.
The statue was unearthed on February 21 by a team of three Chilean science volunteers. universities that collaborated on a project to restore the wetlands in the Rano Raraku volcano crater.
“This moai sculpture has great potential for scientific and natural research– this is a truly unique discovery, since the first time moai were found inside the lagoon of the lake in the crater Rano Raraku”, – The Mau Henua indigenous community said in a statement on Tuesday.
Several moai in the area were charred by an October wildfire on the island, also known as Rapa Nui, located 3,500 km west of Chile.< /p>
“This moai statue sits in the middle of a lagoon that started to dry up in 2018, – said the director of the Mau Henua community, which manages the Rapa Nui National Park, where the volcano is located. – The interesting thing is that, for at least the last 200 or 300 years, the depth of the lagoon was three meters, which means that not a single human being could have left a moai there during this time”.
The new moai is 1 high .60 meters was found lying on his side and looking at the sky.
The statue was «full-height, with recognizable features but no clear definition,» Mau Henua said in a statement, adding that the group was seeking funding to conduct a more extensive study of the find.
However, «no plans to move the moai from where it is located”.
Rano Raraku Volcano and its Moai are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Easter Island was inhabited by Polynesians for a long time before Chile annexed it in 1888.
A fire on Easter Island last October caused «irreparable» damage, according to experts, to the famous moai statues. The forest fire engulfed more than 100 hectares of the national park, while some monolithic figures were «completely burned.»
«The damage caused by the fire cannot be compensated, – said the mayor of the island, Edmunds Paoa. – A cracked original and symbolic stone cannot be restored, no matter how many millions of euros or dollars are invested in it.