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On the Origin of Species: Nosepass and Probopass (view source)
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Indeed, the early history of the island is all but unknown: historians can't even agree on when the island was first settled, with estimates ranging from 300 AD to 1200 AD, a gap of almost a thousand years. What we can be fairly sure of, however, is that the first moai were produced in around 1250, and that production continued until approximately 1500. | Indeed, the early history of the island is all but unknown: historians can't even agree on when the island was first settled, with estimates ranging from 300 AD to 1200 AD, a gap of almost a thousand years. What we can be fairly sure of, however, is that the first moai were produced in around 1250, and that production continued until approximately 1500. | ||
[[File: | [[File:Moai Rano raraku.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Moai partially buried in the slopes of Rano Raraku.]]So, what precisely are moai, and why were they made? There are 887 moai in existence, most of them carved from a soft volcanic rock called {{wp|tuff}}. They're stylized figures with large heads, prominent features and small bodies. Their size varies, but the tallest one ever completed was over 10 meters in height. Typically, a completed moai would be erected on a ceremonial stone platform called an ahu. Some ahu would have a whole row of moai. In most cases, ahu were located near the coast, with the moai facing inland. | ||
From the mid-nineteenth century up until the 1950s, the only moai standing upright were on the slopes surrounding {{wp|Rano Raraku}}, the volcanic crater which also served as the island's main quarry. These moai were buried up to their shoulders, their lower bodies not visible, and this explains why many people think of the moai as merely 'heads'. | From the mid-nineteenth century up until the 1950s, the only moai standing upright were on the slopes surrounding {{wp|Rano Raraku}}, the volcanic crater which also served as the island's main quarry. These moai were buried up to their shoulders, their lower bodies not visible, and this explains why many people think of the moai as merely 'heads'. | ||