Anthropology

The stone monolith is one of the famous moai sculptures scattered across the landscape

Sarah Kuta
Daily Correspondent

February 28, 2023 5:16 p.m.



Moai statues on Easter Island Andia / Universal Images Group via Getty Images

In a dry lake bed, archaeologists on Rapa Nui—also known as Easter Island—have unearthed a previously unknown statue.

The new find is one of the moai, the famous stone figures located around the island. Researchers hope to find other ancient artifacts, including additional moai and tools, at the site, called Rano Raraku. They also plan to perform radiocarbon dating to determine the moai’s age.

“We think we know all the moai, but then a new one turns up,” says Terry Hunt, an archaeologist at the University of Arizona, to Angeline Jane Bernabe, Erin Brady, Faryn Shiro and Robyn Weil of “Good Morning America.” He adds, “When there’s one moai in the lake, there’s probably more.”

The new moai is smaller than the nearly 1,000 other statues on the island, which can measure up to 33 feet tall and can weigh up to 80 tons. They represent the islanders’ “deified ancestors,” says Hunt.