A study published in 2025 by Carl P. Lipo (Binghamton University) and Terry L. Hunt (University of Arizona) provides more concrete evidence indicating that the monumental statues of Easter Island, the moai, were moved vertically in a lateral rocking motion. This hypothesis calls into question the models of horizontal transport on sleds or logs.
The researchers rely on several elements. First of all, the roads of Rapa Nui, approximately 4.5 meters wide and concave in shape, are compatible with vertical travel. “Roads are part of the transportation system”confirms Carl P. Lipo.
Then, 62 moai discovered along these paths show marks corresponding to lateral tilting: nearly 70% show fractures on the sides, and their position (face or back to the ground) depends on the direction of the slope. The particular shape of the statues – D-shaped base and slightly advanced center of gravity – would favor this type of movement. No material evidence suggests horizontal transport.
Researchers also highlight the concordance with oral traditions: several songs and stories evoke walking statues, as in a local popular song mentioning an ancestor knowing the secret of their movement. According to Lipo: “Modern inhabitants of the island still sing a folk song that tells the story of an ancient ancestor who knew how to make the statues walk”the rhythm in particular lends itself to repetitive movement.
A first study from 2012, signed by the same authors, had already proposed this model based on experiments with a 4.35 ton replica, demonstrating the feasibility of the method with a reduced workforce. This work then called into question the classic hypotheses favoring lying down transport.
Their approach had nevertheless attracted criticism, notably from Jo Anne Van Tilburg, specialist in Rapa Nui, who saw it as a “more than a scientific experiment”believing that these essays lacked contextual rigor. Other archaeologists had defended transport by sled, considered more stable on uneven terrain.
The new study now strengthens the validity of the vertical model thanks to digital modeling, an expanded archaeological corpus and new experiments: a replica statue was moved 100 meters in 40 minutes by 18 people, using three ropes – two for swinging, one to stabilize the head. “Once the movement starts, it is easy to maintain”specifies Lipo. “The larger the statues, the more efficient this mode of transportation is. »
This theory extends the work carried out in 1986 by the engineer Pavel Pavel and the archaeologist Thor Heyerdahl, who had already demonstrated the possibility of making a replica of a 12-ton statue “walk” with only 17 people.
