In the Pacific Ocean, a relatively small island is lost, keeping many secrets. For many years, it has been a hotly debated topic among researchers and scientists. Here, undeciphered tablets of the rongo script were found, there is a mysterious cult of the bird-man, tangled corridors lead to multi-level dungeons, and giant stone statues-idols look menacingly at those who disturb their peace. As you might have guessed, we are talking about Easter Island.
Located in the South Pacific Ocean, Easter Island belongs to Chile, its area is 163 square meters. km. The distance from the island to the nearest coast in 3514 km indicates that this piece of land is the record holder for distance from the mainland.
The discovery of the island took place on Easter Sunday in 1722. So this piece of land got its name in honor of the Christian holiday. The honor of discovering Fr. Easter belongs to three frigates from Holland under the command of Admiral Roggeven.
The stone statues amazed the Dutch. And the sea "aliens", in turn, struck the local population. The natives tried to steal some things from overseas guests. Several people were shot for petty theft.
The first tourists were attracted by the figures of giant heads carved out of stone. The weight of individual statues of Easter Island reached 80 tons.
Even more dire events occurred in December 1862, when slave traders from Peru arrived on the island. More than a thousand people were captured, not only the local leader with his entire family, but also the scientists on the island fell into slavery. Only 15 people came back, and even those brought smallpox with them. As a result, out of 4,000 islanders bursting with health, about 600 people survived.
The riddle of stone idols
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Moai (as the famous statues of Easter Island are called) are the main local attraction. Aborigines hewed them out of the tuff on the slope of the volcano. Unfinished stonemason statues, which were later discovered by scientists, connected with their backs to the rock.
At the request of Thor Heyerdahl, several islanders took part in the experiment. They outlined the contours of future statues and began to carve them out of stone with axes. Sometimes the rock was watered to soften it. Surprisingly, it took only three days to create a crisp silhouette. According to the calculations of the researcher, two groups of masons of 10 people each could decorate any side of the island with their creation in a year.
As it turned out, there is nothing unusual in making stone giants. But how can a statue weighing up to 80 tons be moved over a distance of several kilometers? There were rumors among the natives that the statues moved on their own. This myth has given rise to a number of the most fantastic hypotheses - from the use of techniques by local shamans to overcome gravity, to the participation of aliens in the transportation of statues.
Tearing off the mysterious veils
According to research scientists, everything was much simpler - the statue was dragged on a wooden sled. In the presence of Thor Heyerdahl, as an experiment, 150 islanders moved the 12-ton moai without any problem. The experiment of lifting the statue ended no less successfully. A dozen people, using the simplest devices, were able to lift a figure weighing 20 tons. It took 18 days to erect the monument.
As it turned out, stone idols are capable of "walking". The researchers found that a vertically mounted statue was much easier to operate. Engineer P. Pavel, with the participation of his friends, conducted an experiment on a model of a statue weighing 10 tons. With the help of ropes, 18 people forced the upright statue to move in 20 centimeter steps. Each step took about 25 seconds.
Most often, stone giants are of two types. The first includes 10-meter giants weighing up to 80 tons. Their distinctive feature is long noses and narrow faces, the lower part of the body of the statues is deep in sedimentary rock. This indicates that they were made earlier than everyone else.
The second type is represented by statues up to 4 meters in height. Such structures were made at a later period of time, they have an oval face shape. The islanders placed these figures on the coast.
Wars, famine and cannibalism
Some stone giants on Easter Island were knocked down, and, naturally, the question arises - why?
Once there were many trees, they were used for transporting statues, making canoes and building huts. Gradually the forest was destroyed. Soil erosion, in turn, destroyed the fertile layer, food production fell into a complete decline, and famine began, which led to a sharp decrease in the number of islanders.
There was a time when the population of the skeleton was divided into two social groups. The first included the so-called "long-eared", the second - "short-eared". The first were representatives of the elite, they owned a written language and led the tribe. The second were in a subordinate position and engaged in black work.
In 1680, due to a lack of food, the "short-eared" rebelled and destroyed the "long-eared". And in later times, different tribes continued to attack each other. These confrontations led to the fact that some of the statues were toppled from their pedestals. Cannibalism flourished on the island. At first, only the victorious warriors ate their enemies, but when the hunger intensified, then everyone else followed their example.
By the time the Europeans appeared on the island, the local population barely reached 3 thousand people, and in fact at the best of times at least 15 thousand aborigines lived here!
Are bird people hiding in dungeons?
It is not surprising that many of the secrets of the unique Easter Island have not yet been revealed. Numerous epidemics and slave traders, which destroyed a significant part of the islanders, contributed to this to a sufficient extent. The missionaries also had their hand. They forced the surviving Aboriginal people to burn the rongo plaques, and the surviving 25 pieces have not yet been translated.
The island's intricate dungeons are another mystery. There is no doubt that they are all artificial. There are several levels in the underground caves. Researchers who tried to penetrate below the fifth "floor" never returned. After more than 60 people perished in the caves of Easter Island, access to them was prohibited.
The famous explorer Ernst Muldashev was still able to get into the forbidden dungeons. He was extremely impressed by a visit to the cave, made in the form of a pipe. Its walls were covered with a layer of unknown material, somewhat reminiscent of ancient ceramics. But it was not this circumstance that struck the researcher most of all, but an unexpected meeting with a mysterious creature.
According to local beliefs, birdmen created the dungeons. Interesting is the fact that these winged creatures are also found in the Ural legends.
For a moment it seemed to Muldashev that the light of the lantern began to reflect from something bright red. Ernst turned off the flashlight and froze, two red eyes gazed at him from the darkness. The explorer was never able to figure out how he managed to get out of the cave.
According to Muldashev, bird-people once lived on the surface of the earth and even helped the inhabitants of the island to install stone giants. But then, fleeing adversity, they were forced to move underground. Muldashev is sure that one of these creatures with bright red eyes met him in the cave.