The first easter island settlement is said to have been at anakena, the landing point on the island that provides the most protection from rough maritime weather. Brien has explored more than 90 countries but his true passion is researching and writing about the ancient megalithic works found in peru, bolivia, mexico, easter island, egypt, england, and beyond. Mystery of the stone giants by catherine and michel orliac a history of the remote island in the pacific ocean that was discovered by dutch sailors on easter sunday, 1722, is pieced together by archaeologists and considers the mysteries of an aweinspiring place filled with giant statues. Is easter island a warning about unrestrained environmental destruction. This is a misconception from having seen photos of statues in the volcano rano raraku. Easter island was discovered, forgotten and then rediscovered. It also became a special territory of chile in 1888. In recent years, easter island has drawn more than 100,000 annual visitors, most of whom are lured by its ancient monolithic statues, called moai, around 1,000 of which dot the landscape. Jan 08, 2020 easter island when europeans first reached rapa nui, or easter island, on easter day, 1722, they were awed to find around 1,000 imposing stone moai, or monoliths, carved in the shape of human beings. Wikipedia hixton added that other features support the rolling theory of placement, including indentations at the bases of the hats and their oblong shape. The reason why the easter island is famous is that of its ancient 900 giant stone figures speculations were many regarding the precise purpose of the statues, the role of the ancient civilization of this place and the way they might have been built and moved.
Easter island facts easter island statues dk find out. Gyp indooroutdoor easter island statue planterplant cylinderdurable resin venus goddess sculpture,gallery art deco flower stand,b. First published in 1919, this work provides information on that most mysterious of islands easter island rapa nui. One of the most interesting features of this island is its 887 giant monolithic statues named moai. This title features expanded coverage of patagonia, including new adventure options in puerto natales and more information on chiles crown jewel, torres del paine national park. In addition to representing deceased ancestors, the moai, once they were erected on ahu, may also have been regarded as the embodiment of powerful living or former chiefs and important lineage status symbols. Print this secondary source was important because it showed the history of easter island. Of volcanic origin, easter island is mostly covered with grasslands and is swept by strong trade winds.
One of the greatest mysteries about easter island, also known as rapa nui, concerns the identity of its earliest inhabitants, the architects of the stoic statues. The mysterious stone statues carved and erected by the rapa nui people have enthralled people since their discovery. Now known as rapa nui, this tiny speck in the pacific ocean is famous for its. Reveling in the enigmatic beauty of easter island the. This is the first novel ive seen about this island of mystery. This book avoids being another cliched entry on easter island replete with the overdramatizations of the mysteries of the islands infamous giant stone statues. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. Easter island is home to some of the most famous, and yet most mysterious, statues in the world. Easter island facts and the history of moai statues. The statues are the obvious hook to get kids involved in the history of the island, but the material is presented chronologically. This concise account of easter islan history presents some new scholarhsip and rehashes the same stories of the islands remarkable facts and people. Read all about the amazing statues, the history and the mysteries that surround this island. Jan, 2010 in addition to a depleted ecosystem, easter island history is rife with conflict.
Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. In this lesson, well check out the statues of this remote polynesian island and explore the. Im so glad i decided to read it because its just a great book full of interesting information, some of which id never come across before, and such a lovely double story. Easter island history cultural development the cultural development on the island has been fodder for widespread speculation. Virtual tour of the hidden history of ancient easter island. With the mysteries of easter island, kids can explore questions and mysteries surrounding the huge stone statues of easter island and the culture that produced them. Well its an amazing island, also called rapa nui, and is a polynesian island in the pacific ocean. Platforms are called ahu, and the statues that sit on them, moai pronounced. Since the island consists of volcanic rock, the early inhabitants quarried the material into giant statues, some as tall as 14 feet, 6 inches and weighing about 14 tons. According to diamond and heyerdahls version of the islands history, the huri mo aistatuetopplingcontinued into the 1830s as a part of fierce internal wars. Strong cultural coverage gets under the skin of this skinny country including a special feature on wine. See more ideas about easter island, easter island statues and island. Easter island has always interested me so ive read a lot of nonfiction books about it.
Moai statues are massive megaliths at easter island, and these are what this island is famous for. The history of easter island and its strange statues is succintly told. The easter island palm was used by settlers for means of constructing agricultural tools for their society and aiding in the transport of the island s statues. They took land from the weaker clans and toppled many moai statues. Of all the ahu in easter island, the most prestigious one is certainly tongariki, which has 15 statues located in front of the rano raraku quarry, less than 2 km away.
Located on the remote chilean territory of easter island, they tell a mysterious story of the islands early people and their obsession with rock carvings. The turbulent history of easter island, reaktion books, 2005, p. Reveling in the enigmatic beauty of easter island the new. Sep 07, 2011 easter island, accidentally discovered by europeans on easter sunday in 1722, is the most remote island in the world. Jun 21, 2011 the monumental statues of easter island, both so magisterial and so forlorn, gazing out in their imposing rows over the islands barren landscape, have been the source of great mystery ever since the island was first discovered by europeans on easter sunday 1722. The mystery is explained very well by charles river editors. The mysterious stone statues carved and erected by the rapa nui people have enthralled people since their. New research challenges reason for easter island collapse. Oct 12, 2017 one of the greatest mysteries about easter island, also known as rapa nui, concerns the identity of its earliest inhabitants, the architects of the stoic statues.
Easter island, accidentally discovered by europeans on easter sunday in 1722, is the most remote island in the world. Apr 25, 2015 the first known painting of easter island in 1775 by william hodges, showing moai statues with their distinctive red headgear. At some point in the islands history, when both the art and the population were increasing, the islands resources were overtaxed. The secrets of easter island history smithsonian magazine. It details routledges journey by yacht from england to south america, around patagonia to chile and on to easter island, giving an account of its life, history and folklore. Hunt and lipo researched, ran experiments and thought very deeply about many aspects of the fascinating monoliths at easter island. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. It is likely the decline of the palm and the rapid deforestation that took place on the island caused the islanders to start to decline in population while those who survived were forced.
The statues were carved by the polynesian colonizers of the island, mostly between circa 1250 a. Easter island, an isolated plot of land in a remote part of the pacific ocean, is best known for the huge stone statues that dot the landscape. Dec 15, 20 easter island, or rapa nui, in the polynesian language, is a small remote island a few thousand miles west of south america. See more ideas about ancient history, history and easter island statues. If you like me,are interested in clearing off the old folk tales,read this and be edified. Explore fascinating mysteries and secrets of history and folklore from countries and cultures around the world. Like all the other ahu, the tongariki was devastated during the time in which the clans that fought against each other rejected the worship to the ancestors. We visited easter island in sept 2017 and have compiled this list of best easter island books for the curious traveler. History, traditions, texts by steven roger fischer. The statues of easter island travel smithsonian magazine. The huge stone figures of easter island have beguiled explorers, researchers and the wider world for centuries, but now experts say they have cracked one. Unraveling the mystery of easter island hunt, terry, lipo, carl on. List of books and articles about easter island online. List of books and articles about easter island online research.
Easter island was named on easter day, 1722, by the dutch navigator jakob roggeven. Jan 10, 2019 the huge stone figures of easter island have beguiled explorers, researchers and the wider world for centuries, but now experts say they have cracked one of the biggest mysteries. The moai are some of the worlds most fascinating and widelyrecognised monolithic statues. With a serious shortage of resources, the various clans eventually began destroying each other. Lonely planet chile and easter island country travel guide. About half of the inhabitants are of polynesian stock. The huge stone figures of easter island have beguiled explorers, researchers and the wider world for centuries, but now experts say they have cracked one of the biggest mysteries. The mysteries of easter island world book encyclopedia. Easter island when europeans first reached rapa nui, or easter island, on easter day, 1722, they were awed to find around 1,000 imposing stone moai, or.
Sep 14, 2017 we visited easter island in sept 2017 and have compiled this list of best easter island books for the curious traveler. The mysteries of easter of island is a detailed text that will keep students engaged and leave them with many of their own questions to consider. Much research has been carried out on these famous statues and many of the damaged and fallen. Study claims to have solved mystery of giant easter island. For decades, scientists have studied this remote island in the south pacific and its hundreds of giant stone statues known as moai. Easter island is known for its isolation and its statues, as well as its startling degree of population decline. A brief history of easter islands incredible moai statues. Easter islands monoliths made the crops grow gastro obscura. Easter island, known as rapa nui to the people living there, is a small island in the pacific ocean, 2,300 miles 3,700km west of chile. It isnt a primary because it showed theories on what happened and facts about the topic. Famous for its giant stone figures, called moai, the island is thought to have been named easter island because the first european visitor arrived on easter sunday, 1722.
Easter island is believed to have been settled between 700 to 1200 ce, around the same time that settlers first arrived in hawaii. In easter island dna, evidence of genetic loneliness the. The spread of european diseases, especially smallpox, and the raids of spanish slavers reduced the population to slightly more than 100 by 1887. Prior to island came into existence, natives of rapa nui believed, 500 years ago, they are the only people living on earth. Katherine routledge is a central figure in the history of easter island, one of.
1578 451 708 541 1415 1364 538 142 651 76 1081 478 420 1180 118 1268 982 1181 1298 890 1126 1208 1240 351 492 260 464 838 1493 961 890 1275 162 469 477 1040 449 1042 942 602 225