Scientists have confirmed that Easter Island statues could "walk"

For many years, archaeologists have puzzled over how the ancient inhabitants of Easter Island (Rapa Nui) were able to move the giant moai statues, which reach a height of more than 10 metres and weigh dozens of tonnes.

Now, thanks to modern scientific methods, researchers from the University of Binghamton (USA) have proved: the statues really "walked" to their destination - literally.

The team led by anthropologist Carl Lipo and archaeologist Terry Hunt (University of Arizona) published a study in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

The scientists studied almost a thousand moai, conducted field experiments and created highly accurate 3D models to find out exactly how the stone giants could move around the island.

According to their hypothesis, the statues "walked" in an upright position, swaying from side to side. This method proved not only possible, but also much more energy efficient than the theory of transporting the reclining moai on wooden skids.

"Once you start the movement, it's quite simple - people pull the ropes and the statue swings forwards. The hardest part is getting the swing started. But if it works on a small scale, can it also be applied to large moai? We checked: from a physics point of view, everything works," Lipo explains.

The researchers created a 3D model with the characteristic D-shaped base and forward slope, and then produced an exact replica weighing 4.35 tonnes. Only 18 people took part in the experiment and managed to move the statue 100 metres in 40 minutes. This is much more efficient than previous attempts at vertical transport.

The island's roads also played an important role: they are about 4.5 metres wide and have a concave cross profile - ideal conditions for sustained "walking" movement.

"Every time they moved a statue, they built a road for it. And we found many such roads - intersecting, parallel. It seems that they cleared an area, moved the statue, cleared it again and moved on," the scientist noted.

Lipo emphasises that there are no alternative theories confirmed by practice:

"No one has yet provided evidence that this method is impossible. On the contrary - each new finding only strengthens our hypothesis."

These findings not only solve one of the oldest archaeological mysteries, but also confirm the engineering genius of the Rapa Nui people.

"They did this based on their resources. It speaks to the incredible ingenuity and skill of these people. We have a lot to learn from them," Lipo added.