|
Geologists were studying the site after fires swept through the
area last year. It could mean more figures and tools used by the
ancestral Rapa Nui people are buried nearby in the
once-underwater site, scientists said.
"This is the first time, from what I understand, that something
has been found in the basin," said archaeologist Jose Miguel
Ramirez.
It meant that the lake had likely dried at some point in the
past, and perhaps the Rapa Nui were taking advantage of that to
move the statue, he added.
"I think more (moai) are going to keep showing up," Ramirez
said.
Easter Island, a Chilean territory some 2,200 miles (3,540 km)
from the mainland, is a protected national park and a UNESCO
World Heritage site. Researchers believe the island's first
residents arrived more than 1,000 years ago and that its famous
monolithic human figures were erected about 400 to 700 years
ago.
"What we've seen today is very important, because this is part
of the history of the Rapa Nui people," said Salvador Atan Hito,
a leader of the Ma'u Henua Indigenous community overseeing the
site.
The half-buried, 1.5-meter (5-ft) moai will now undergo tests to
determine what state it is in, researchers said. While Easter
Island is littered with hundreds of the towering stone heads
they face threats from the elements, including the fires which
led to this statue's discovery.
(Reporting by Reuters TV; Writing by Fabian Cambero and Kylie
Madry, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
