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56 min 2 sec
www.pbs.org
Hidden in the mists of the South Pacific on one of the most remote islands on earth is a mystery locked in stone. Giant human forms stand against the weathering of time. These are the mute sentinels of Easter Island, stone statues called moai. Roughly 900 moai were carved over a period of 500 years, hewn with stone tools from the volcanic rock of an ancient crater. No one knows how the many ton statues came to stand at their sacred sites. How could an isolated culture with only the simplest tools move monoliths from the quarry to sacred platform sites scattered all over the island - some of them five miles away? Legend says the statues magically walked to their venerated platforms. To penetrate beyond the myths, NOVA assembles a team of archaeologists, engineers, and the Easter Islanders themselves. Together they launch a series of hands-on experiments to explore the methods used by the ancients. But no one anticipates the events that unfold. This is the legacy of Easter Island, a culture that exhausted itself in moving giant stone. How did this ancient society achieve such monolithic greatness? And why did it fall? For more great science stories, tune in weekly to NOVA on your local PBS station.
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