Easter Island: The Mysteries of the Moai On a tiny island off the coast of Chile, two thousand miles from the nearest civilization, there stand hundreds of massive stone statues hewn from rough volcanic rock in the shape of human faces. These statues remain a great source of controversy and disagreement among the scientific community. Almost nothing is left over from the time of the figures or their creators to explain them but ancient island lore and legend, unproven stories that serve only to create more mystery than they explain. Two of the greatest mysteries surrounding the statues are how the precisely crafted statues were actually carved, and how the colossal monoliths were transported from the quarry to their final resting place. The …show more content…
As usual, conspiracy theorists have suggested that the statues were created by aliens or an advanced culture whose continent sunk below the sea. However, there is no evidence to support either theory, and experts generally reject these claims. A more logical explanation of the moai has been composed by various researchers who have come to the conclusion that a team of six men belonging to a high-ranking guild of craftsmen would have carved one statue in about a year to fifteen months of working every day (Reis 32). It has been proposed that this caste of carvers would have been provided for by the lower-ranking members of society. Furthermore, it has been suggested that, to adequately feed and house the workers, the island would have had to be in a time of relative peace. The effort to support six men who were producing no food of their own would have required cooperation across Rapa Nui (Reis 32). Little concrete evidence of the technique used to sculpt the moai has been found, but many hypotheses exist. The generally accepted theory is that using simple adzes, a primitive tool much like an axe head with no handle usually crafted out of volcanic glass, the team would carve a rough outline of the statue lying on its back into the rock of their volcanic quarry. Then, features on the head and body would gradually be formed (Reis 32). When this was completed, the process of detaching the moai began. Katherine …show more content…
Both the processes of building and the moving the megaliths with primitive equipment would be astonishingly difficult and delicate operations. The scientifically accepted explanation for how moai were carved is that a group of talented stoneworkers would be employed to create the statues, while having their food and housing provided by other members of the community. Once the statues were finished, the process of moving them began. This likely involved the use of a wooden sledge and rollers to transport the statue from the quarry to their ahus, contrary to the theories of the islands European explorer. Although many explanations for the mysteries of Easter Islands have been put forth, no one knows for certain the true answer. Someday, these answers might reveal themselves. Perhaps, however, we will never know the answer to one of the greatest mysteries of human history: what the great explorer Thor Heyerdahl describes as one of the “most curious monuments of
The stele, which is a six foot and seven inch tall (2) monument carved into pink limestone (1), was created somewhere around 2200 BC (2). Although the artist is unknown, we can see that he deserted the conventional methods of carving into layered registers, and elected instead for a consolidated and dynamic
“Given enough timber and fiber for making ropes, teams of at most a few hundred people could have loaded the statues onto wooden sleds, dragged them over lubricated wooden tracks or rollers, and used logs as levers to maneuver them into a standing
The sculptures towered up to three meters in the air and were nearly four and a half meters in circumference. Not only were they large in volume, but the stone heads dominated in mass. They could weigh up to nearly 40 tons, although it was rare to have many of them being that heavy.” Other art produced by the Olmec people were things such as wood carvings and cave painting. However, many of the wooden carving cease to exist, disintegrating over time, unlike the many cave painting created by the olmecs which still remain in caves that are now a part of the Mexican state,
In Ancient Egypt, the temples were all constructed from stone because the gods were to live in these temples for all of eternity and lack of wood. The temple walls were covered with inscriptions and images. They were often historical events, such as important events at the temple or of the pharaoh’s reign. The Temple of Dendur depicted Pihor worshipping Isis and Pedesi worshipping Osiris as well as Emperor Augustus praying and offering the gods. Traditionally, the drawings would’ve been of the pharaoh.
Could the modern world be heading toward an impending societal collapse? Haunting similarities between our civilization and those that have risen and fallen in the past suggest that yes, we could be heading down that road; however, the most disturbing thing is that we could be the ones culpable. This the crux of what Jared Diamond wants to get across to readers, and what he has surely gotten across to me, of his novel Collapse, particularly as it pertains to Easter Island and its society. He believes, as do I, that Easter Island and its undoing is a metaphor for our world — if we do not do something now, we will end up just like the peoples whom we learn about in our history books. I have seen parallels between us and them exist in sudden population
You would imagine this amazing kingdom sitting behind the statue and there was gold encrusted everything, but there was just sand. Sand for miles and miles, with nothing but a lone, destroyed statue.
For living in a time period where there was not a lot of technological advances that would help them build what they wanted at a faster pace, they had to learn to work with what they had. They also had to learn how to work with materials to be able to make the magnificent and amazing temples, that they are known for. “ The general temple-pyramid consisted of a platform, a long, broad, steep double staircase going up the center, with balustrades going up the sides of the steps. The Aztecs used sculpted stone blocks and skulls to decorate the platform and the ends of the balustrades” (General Construction of Pyramid-Temples). The Aztecs used and made platforms and tools that would help them make their temples better and better each time.
Yuny and Renenutet is a sculpture from the New Kingdom, Ramesside period in the nineteen dynasty. It’s a sculpture from Egypt, the regin of Seti I in the date of ca. 1294-1279 B.C (Met Museum). Today Yuny and Renenutet is a sculpture that is located at the Met Museum in New York City.
Thutmose III had one of the most sophisticated tombs in the Valley of the Kings. The tomb however was robbed and badly damaged, but even then Thutmose III not only wanted to be remembered for his ferocious army but also for his architecture and art, this is why he added model boats, pottery, tools, wooden statues and plaques. Thutmose III took advantage of the generated wealth from the conquests and decorated Egypt with massive structures that would keep his legacy
I choose the Crystal River State Archaeological State Park in Crystal River , Florida. It is more commonly know as the Indian Burial Mounds. The park itself is in a beautiful location , overlooking the Crystal River on one side and grassy plains on the other side. There is recreational activities in the park as well as the museum. Some of the activities are salt and freshwater fishing , picnicking , bird watching and nature walks.
This supports my position because the resources to build the bronze figures could have been used for military and economic uses, instead they used it for their afterlife uses. The Romans aren’t considering what problems Rome was facing.
It took lots of hard work and diligence in order to complete the pot. Greek pottery was typically made on a potter 's wheel. The potter’s wheel made separate horizontal sections; the foot, the lower and upper body, the neck, and if needed, the handles. All the sections were then combined together using a clay ‘slip’, after drying. This also made it easier to see the imprints of designs needed for the pot.
(Morrogh, 567) After lots of difficult planning, he finally came up with his final design. He decided to created sculptures of each of the men to pose on the facade of the tomb. (Morrogh, 580) During the creation of the tomb, he faced many challenges such as having to place four men in only three spots.
The main message of this article was that although Easter Island seemed like some mystical, abandoned place it used to be very populated and lush. The inhabitants of the island were very skilled and used the natural resources that the island provided to build homes, boats, and the infamous Easter Island heads. However all of these things that helped them build their society would eventually be the death of them. The islanders used up all of their (very limited) resources like the palm trees, animals, etc. and then had to resort to cannibalism until they became extinct.
They used clay not only to make pots but also to make bronze sculptures. They would start with a clay shape and put wax on the outside of the clay, then they would layer more clay on top of the wax. Next they would fire the sculpture to melt the wax and pour the bronze into the clay mold that was left over. Lastly they would break the clay and be left with the bronze statue.