Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Hat Trick: Researchers Solve a Lingering Mystery About Easter Island’s Statues
Seeker ^ | June 23, 2018 | Glenn McDonald

Posted on 06/19/2018 10:54:24 AM PDT by SunkenCiv

Carved from sharp volcanic rock and more than 700 years old, the stone formations can weigh upwards of 13 tons. Archaeologists have long wondered how these stone hats, which sit atop the heads of the famous Easter Island statues, were put into place with 13th-century technology...

Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, rises from the waves about 2,000 miles from Chile. The island's famous statues have been studied by various teams of archaeologists and geologists since the 18th century. Previous studies determined that the statues are made of from one quarry on the island, while the hats come from a different quarry, seven miles away on the other side of the island...

"The best explanation for the transport of the pukao [hats] from the quarry is by rolling the raw material to the location of the moai [statues]," Carl P. Lipo, professor of anthropology at Binghamton University, said in a statement. "Once at the moai, the pukao were rolled up large ramps to the top of a standing statue using a parbuckling technique."

Parbuckling is an ancient and efficient technique for rolling cylindrical objects. The center of a long rope is fixed to the top of a ramp and the two trailing ends are wrapped around the cylinder to be moved. Workers atop the ramp then pull on the ropes to slowly roll the cylinder up.

The Easter Island technique likely involved a couple of extra steps, according to the research team. Once on top of the ramp, which was built adjacent to the statue, the hat was slowly rotated and tipped into place using wooden levers. The hat was also most likely modified before, during, and after the tipping process.

(Excerpt) Read more at seeker.com ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: easterisland; godsgravesglyphs; parbuckling; rapanui; thorheyerdahl
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-31 next last



1 posted on 06/19/2018 10:54:25 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...

2 posted on 06/19/2018 10:55:19 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (www.tapatalk.com/groups/godsgravesglyphs/, forum.darwincentral.org, www.gopbriefingroom.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

Economic stimulus program for shovel-ready projects. Unfortunately, the ancient Easter Islanders went bankrupt and became extinct.


3 posted on 06/19/2018 10:56:02 AM PDT by kaehurowing
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

Well, a dude’s gotta’ have a brim, right?


4 posted on 06/19/2018 10:57:36 AM PDT by Bullish (government=overfunded stupidity.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

They made Statues before they ran out of Food and started eating each other ,I think eating Fish was against their Religion ,D’oh


5 posted on 06/19/2018 10:58:08 AM PDT by butlerweave
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

Who doesn’t love a good mystery?

Strange how ordinary people created extraordinary monuments etc., from what was available in nature and yet ‘scientists’ seem unable to make the simple connection/solution.

All humans have the ability to solve problems. Look it up;)


6 posted on 06/19/2018 10:59:57 AM PDT by sodpoodle (Life is prickly - carry tweezers)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

7 posted on 06/19/2018 11:03:41 AM PDT by fishtank (The denial of original sin is the root of liberalism.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

Looks like the waiting line at the keg at my family reunion.

The tall guy is Uncle Ed.


8 posted on 06/19/2018 11:04:22 AM PDT by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

It took a lot of trees to build those stones.

Rats and whites did those folks in. If only they would have had some liberal politicians to teach them how to save themselves from themselves.....


9 posted on 06/19/2018 11:04:34 AM PDT by Tenacious 1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

10 posted on 06/19/2018 11:04:53 AM PDT by Red Badger (When Obama and VJ go to prison for treason, will Roseanne get her show back?...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: fishtank

Wookbuckle

11 posted on 06/19/2018 11:05:58 AM PDT by fishtank (The denial of original sin is the root of liberalism.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

12 posted on 06/19/2018 11:06:28 AM PDT by Hatteras
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: fishtank

That was the technique employed recently to upright the Costa Concordia during salvage operations.


13 posted on 06/19/2018 11:14:24 AM PDT by IronJack (A)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: butlerweave

14 posted on 06/19/2018 11:16:10 AM PDT by DoodleBob
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: butlerweave

[[They made Statues before they ran out of Food and started eating each other]]

“Easter Island Job opportunity- plenty of fresh air in a lovely environment, lots of leisure time, and all you can eat buffets Daily. Remember, if it tastes like chicken, then that’s what it is... most likely... Except in extre... oh never mind, it’s chicken”


15 posted on 06/19/2018 11:16:54 AM PDT by Bob434
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: butlerweave

No fava beans and Chianti to go with the liver? Tsk. Tsk


16 posted on 06/19/2018 11:26:26 AM PDT by BigEdLB (BigEdLB, Russian BOT, At your service)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: kaehurowing

Quit reading at Researchers.


17 posted on 06/19/2018 11:28:57 AM PDT by carmen2017
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Bob434
Only half of those monumental statues are above ground.
No mention of that or an explanation as to why, how or whatever...

"How large returns of conjecture, on such small investment in fact..." Mark Twain

18 posted on 06/19/2018 11:29:02 AM PDT by publius911 ( If we let it, California will lead us all over the cliff.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv
Using 3D modeling and hands-on analysis of the site materials, the new study concludes that the hat-donning technique was a multi-stage process.
[...]
That's the proposed theory, anyway, as published in the latest issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science.
[...]
"Lots of people have come up with ideas, but we are the first to come up with an idea that uses archaeological evidence," said Sean W. Hixon, Penn State graduate student in anthropology

3D modeling is not archaeological evidence. Is this guy referring to the site materials? Would like to see what he refers to. I would assume a tall ramp that could handle a 13 ton rock would be quite long and very sturdy. So what did they do with all that rock? are there signs of it still?

19 posted on 06/19/2018 11:30:17 AM PDT by pepsi_junkie (Russians couldnt have done a better job destroying sacred American institutions than Democrats have)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

Parbuckling is used to right ships.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parbuckle_salvage


20 posted on 06/19/2018 11:35:18 AM PDT by Moonman62 (Give a man a fish and he'll be a Democrat. Teach a man to fish and he'll be a responsible citizen.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-31 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson