Easter island is an amazing place to go where thousands of tourists from around the world.
Among the huge number of attractions on this island a special place is a volcanic crater “rano Raraku” of compressed volcanic ash or tuff. This crater is fraught with interesting puzzles.
The extinct volcanoes of Easter island
The Slopes Of Terevaka.
This place is located on the lower slopes of Terevaka – the biggest and the youngest of three extinct volcanoes which form Rapa Nui (better known as Easter island). For nearly five centuries, rano Raraku was used for quarrying. It is here quarried stone for most well-known monolithic sculptures of Easter island, known as moai. Today you can see remnants of as many as 387 moai of varying degrees of completeness literally surround the crater. Rano Raraku is part of the world heritage national Park Rapa Nui.
From the height of bird flight.
Almost all the statues on Easter island (95%) were carved in the quarries in the crater, and then is somehow displaced for many kilometers in various locations across the island. No one knows how it was done. Visible on the hillside moai, which for some reason were either not completed, or they haven’t moved where you want
The most amazing careers in the world
The southern slope of rano Raraku literally littered with a large number of moai.
This place has a lot of interesting things. For example, such unique plants like the reeds “totora”, which the thickets of the shore of the lake in the crater, some people believe the first evidence of contact with South American mainland. Totora grew up in this place, at least for 30,000 years, long before on Rapa Nui settled people. The southern slope of rano Raraku on Easter island literally littered with a large number of moai.
Moai, 1880.
Some of them half buried in the ground, and the other is not complete.But the most fascinating sight on rano Raraku moai are in your career. Some of them are unfinished, while others are impossible to reach because they are very high on the outside crater. Here you can see one of the largest samples of moai, with a height of 21.6 meters. It is almost two times more of their “brothers”, which became famous the coast of Easter island.
Unfinished moai.
The weight of the moai is estimated at 270 tons, and many times greater than the weight of any moai that can be found in other places on the island. Scientists believe that some of the unfinished moai were abandoned after their creators in the end stumbled upon a very solid rock in the quarry. And other sculptures supposedly not even going to separate from the rock in which they were cut. In addition, some moai outside the quarry partially dug on shoulders in the ground. Interestingly, these moai no hollowed-out eyes.
The most famous moai.
In addition, they do not have the “Puka” at the top — the top-hat structure, carved from light red volcanic stone that was mined elsewhere, puna Pau. However, these moai have become a real “visiting card” of the island. Of all the archaeological wonders at rano Raraku there is one thing about which he knows quite a few tourists, and which, perhaps, the most unusual of all.
Bearded moai.
This bearded Tokumori, which is one of a kind moai — he is on his knees. Pose Tokumori was subsequently used by women and men who participated in the choir during festivals, known as “Rio”. In particular, the singers on his knees, slightly tilt the torso back and lift your head. Also the performers usually wear a beard (it is easy to see that Tokumori bearded).
Tokumori
Tokumori is the most unusual of all the moai.
Tokumori made of red volcanic cinder, which you can find, as mentioned earlier, only in puna Pau. However, it sits at rano Raraku, which is a tuff quarry. Some surviving records suggest that this figure is probably connected with the cult “Tangata Manu” – a special ritual contest, which is annually competed settlers.
Tokumori in profile.
The challenge was that it was necessary first to get an egg of dark terns on the nearby islet of motu Nui, swim back to Rapa Nui and climb the rock Before KAU. It is highly likely that Tokumori is a singer Rio. Indirect hints suggest that it was the last moai made after I stopped doing the classic moai statues. Today the abandoned moai sculptures testify to the fantastic civilization that once lived and flourished on Easter island.
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