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Secrets of Lost Empires II—Easter Island
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Program Overview
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Uncover the Latest Secrets from NOVA
Magnificent structures—symbols of faith, power, commerce, or
comfort—are the intriguing legacies of the civilizations
featured in this five-part miniseries,
Secrets of Lost Empires. Without modern technology, these
ancient builders achieved construction feats that still impress
today.
NOVA travels to the sites of these once-mighty empires to answer the
question, "How did they do that?" Expert teams of engineers,
archeologists, and master builders attempt to recreate the
structures, using the materials, tools, and techniques thought to
have been available to their ancient counterparts. The researchers
draw on tantalizing clues found in ruins, paintings, and documents
to guide them. But in this real-world laboratory, things don't
always go as planned. The teams demonstrate science inquiry in
action, refining their hypotheses through trial and error. In the
process, they gain a deeper understanding of the ancient builders
and their worlds.
Easter Island
Visitors to the island of Rapa Nui, the modern name for Easter
Island, have long been fascinated by the giant statues, called moai,
that stand on platforms along its rugged coastline. How did ancient
islanders carve and move these enormous volcanic stones? To test
their hypotheses, NOVA's team casts a 10-ton (9 metric tonnes)
concrete model of a moai. Visiting researchers and islanders join
together to pull the moai hundreds of meters, then attempt to raise
it onto a platform.
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