The iconic Easter Island sculptures, the Easter Island heads hide an intriguing detail that is not known by many. It turns out that their name is not very accurate, as these sculptures have a body too, that stayed hidden for a long time.
Easter Island, or Rapa Nui by its native name, lies in Oceania’s Polynesian Triangle and is a volcanic island, one of the most remote islands on Earth.
The large sculptures are called moai, and there are thought to be more than 1,000 pieces on the island, all sculpted by the native people of Rapa Nui between 1250 and 1500. They are mysterious and imposing stone monuments, but recent investigations have shed some light on their origins and looks.
One of the surprising new facts is that they are full-bodied sculptures and not plain moai heads. And as an excavation done by a team from UCLA suggests, some are even unfinished sculptures displayed cleverly and hiding the inconsistencies.
Still, the illusion created by the heads is truly amazing and the Easter Island heads are among the most photographed artifacts around the world.
Did you know that the Easter Island heads have bodies?
