This week's wonder
Who carved the statues of Easter Island?
a real page from the book
The statues of Easter Island were carved by the Rapa Nui people, Polynesian voyagers who made the island their home around 1200 CE. The figures, called moai, honored important ancestors and showed a family's strength, memory, and place in the community.
Most were shaped in a volcanic crater, using harder stone tools to chip softer rock. Then teams moved the giant figures across the island with ropes and careful rocking, a slow, skilled method that let the statues travel upright without wheels or engines.
Wonder words
- ancestor
- basalt
- quarry
- voyager
Try it out
Stand a heavy book upright on carpet and gently rock it side to side to see how careful movement can shift weight.
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Watercolour scenes, straight answers, about three minutes cover to cover. Free today, no account needed.
Read the book — free todayLast week's wonder: Why is space so dark?
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