Buch, Englisch, 274 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm
Buch, Englisch, 274 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm
ISBN: 978-0-19-280340-5
Verlag: Oxford University Press
Who were its inhabitants of Easter Island, and where did they come from? Why - and how - did they erect the giant stone statues found all over the island? Paul Bahn and John Flenley tackle these and a host of other questions, making use of the most up-to-date evidence.
Easter Island, a remote volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean, produced one of the most fascinating and yet least understood prehistoric cultures. Who were its inhabitants, and where did they come from? Why, and equally intriguingly, how did they erect the giant stone statues found all over the island? Paul Bahn and John Flenley tackle these and a host of other questions, introducing us, along the way, to the bizarre birdman cult found in the island's art, and the only recently deciphered Rongorongo script engraved on wooden panels. This work combines a wealth of archaeological evidence, folk memories and the records of Captain Cook and other early explorers, to reveal how the island's decline may stem from ecological catastrophe. The result is a portrait of a civilization which still retains many of its mysteries.
Introduction: European Discovery - The Island and its Geography. Part I The original boat people: Where Did They Come From?; How Did They Get There, and Why?; Living on an Island. Part II Ancestors of stone - a petrified dream: Statues and Ceremonies; The Riddle of the Quarry; Rocking or Rolling - How were the Statues moved?; Platforms and Pukao - Erecting the Statues. Part III The aftermath: Crash go the Ancestors; Orongo and Rongorongo; Conclusion: The Island that Self-Destructed. Epilogue: The Lessons of Easter Island.
