Archaeologists Believed Every Statue on This Island Had Been Found, Until One Emerged from a Lakebed
The Daily Galaxy • • world
Key Points:
- A previously unknown moai statue was discovered in the dried bed of a former lake on Rapa Nui (Easter Island), challenging the belief that all island statues had been documented.
- The statue was found near a quarry and is the first moai ever identified in a former lakebed, according to archaeologist Terry Hunt from the University of Arizona.
- Dry environmental conditions exposed the lake floor, which had been hidden by reeds, enabling the discovery and suggesting that more statues may be buried beneath the lake sediments.
- The newly uncovered moai is one of the smallest recorded on the island, contrasting with the largest statues that can reach up to 32 feet tall and weigh 86 tons.
- Local Rapa Nui authorities expressed
