Moai Statue (Average)

The stone sentinels of Rapa Nui, carved from volcanic tuff/Historical

The moai of Easter Island (Rapa Nui) are monolithic human figures carved between 1250 and 1500 AD by the Rapa Nui people. The 887 known moai average about 4 m tall and weigh 12.5 tonnes, though sizes vary enormously. The largest erected moai, Paro, stands 10 m tall and weighs 82 tonnes. All but 53 of the moai were carved from tuff (compressed volcanic ash) at the Rano Raraku quarry. How the Rapa Nui transported these massive statues across the island remains debated, though recent experiments suggest they may have been 'walked' upright using ropes.