For the first time, Europeans came to Easter Island in 1722 and were struck by dozens of huge idols that were there. Scientists have discovered the secret of who could have made them only now.
When the Europeans arrived on the island, the population of Easter was, according to various estimates, from 1.5 to 3 thousand natives. Such a number of residents could not create such a number of multi-ton idols, for the manufacture of which monolithic basalt tuff was used.
A handful of local residents clearly could not cope with such work. And the giant statues still had to be dragged to their place of installation. So the theory arose that this, like the Egyptian pyramids, was the work of aliens.
But this version also had opponents. Scientists from the United States working at the University of California, as a result of their research, found that during the heyday of Easter, there were significantly more people living there, and this work was within their power.
Only a fifth of the island is suitable for cultivating sweet potatoes for food. When scientists analyzed the state of the soil and climate, they found that up to 5 tons of this product could be harvested per hectare.
At the maximum harvest, it could be enough to feed 20 thousand inhabitants. The scientists settled on the number 17,500. This number of natives could well be enough to work on the idols of Easter. Then their numbers declined due to civil strife and soil depletion.
Andrey Severny