Mystery of Easter Island
Season 39 Episode 14 | 53m 10sVideo has Closed Captions
A team tests a theory on how the ancient stone statues were moved, using a 15-ton replica.
A remote, bleak speck of rock in the middle of the Pacific, Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, has mystified the world ever since the first Europeans arrived in 1722. How and why did the ancient islanders build and move nearly 900 giant statues or moai, weighing up to 86 tons? And how did they transform a presumed paradise into a treeless wasteland, bringing ruin upon their island and themselves?
Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS viewers. Original funding provided by Pacific Islanders in Communications, Lockheed Martin, the David H....
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Mystery of Easter Island
Season 39 Episode 14 | 53m 10sVideo has Closed Captions
A remote, bleak speck of rock in the middle of the Pacific, Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, has mystified the world ever since the first Europeans arrived in 1722. How and why did the ancient islanders build and move nearly 900 giant statues or moai, weighing up to 86 tons? And how did they transform a presumed paradise into a treeless wasteland, bringing ruin upon their island and themselves?
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Video has Closed Captions
What caused the vast deforestation of Easter Island? (6m 44s)
Mystery of Easter Island Preview
Video has Closed Captions
A team of scientists and volunteers test a theory on how these ancient statues were moved. (30s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship
Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS viewers. Original funding provided by Pacific Islanders in Communications, Lockheed Martin, the David H....