Recent news reported that Easter Island theory proves to be wrong. A new research revealed the long-held theory about the island’s history is not accurate. Easter Island is known for its extremely large stone statues, called moai. The island as a whole is not very extended, though. The land covers almost 63 square miles up to the South Pacific, approximately 2,300 miles west of Chile.
Easter Island became a worldwide attraction due to its statues and the mystery that surrounds them. Centuries ago, the island was inhabited by a thriving population known as Rapa Nui. However, ever since Europeans discovered the island, Rapa Nui population started to shrink until they disappeared. Experts had previously thought the collapse of the Easter Island’s civilization was a result of warfare.
Previous studies suggested the Rapa Nui population was affected by the lack of environmental resources. Having almost no access to these resources, Rapa Nui people started wars. Eventually, this led to the population’s decimation. The recent study, conducted by Carl Lipo, archaeologist at Binghamtom University, contradicts the warfare theory.
Lipo claims there isn’t enough evidence to support the idea that Rapa Nui population collapsed as a result of warfare. The archaeologist explained that
‘There is little trace, for example, of lethal trauma on skeletal material and none of the defensive structures that are common on the islands in the Pacific with known traditions of warfare.”
Previous research claimed the abundance of obsidian tools, known as mata’a, is strictly connected with the idea of warfare. Nonetheless, Carl Lipo claimed this is not exactly what happened and these artifacts might have served other purposes. Experts studied 423 mata’a models using a method called morphometrics.
This technique helped them to characterize the shapes in a quantitative manner. The results showed the artifacts were very different from traditional weapons. In the light of the new findings, scientists concluded the mata’a couldn’t have been used for war. Lipo explained the artifacts don’t look like real lances and they cannot pierce the body.
The archaeologist believes the mata’a were used as cultivation tools. Rapa Nui might have used these artifacts in rituals such as tattooing or agricultural activities. Moreover, scientists said All those mata’a scattered on the ground doesn’t indicate the aftermath of battle. They rather looked like discarded hoes and rakes. The fact that Easter Island theory proves to be wrong might give experts another perspective on Rapa Nui history.
Photo Credits: Wikimedia