Rano Raraku Statue Quarry
Rano Raraku
Chile · Valparaíso, Easter Island
In brief
Rano Raraku is the main production site for Rapa Nui moai statues, and archaeological excavations have been carried out here. Excavations and soil analyses have shown that farming also took place on the quarry's inner slopes. The site lies within the UNESCO-listed Rapa Nui National Park.
What was found?
- 1Excavated moai statues
Excavations in the interior of the quarry have exposed buried portions of statues for examination. This has allowed the layers around the statues and earlier ground levels to be investigated.
- 2Petroglyphs of RR-0001-156
This moai bears dense, interconnected rock-carved motifs. Its decorations show that the images carved into statue surfaces should be investigated alongside their forms.
- 3Crop plant remains
Macro- and microbotanical data support the cultivation of sweet potato, banana, taro, and paper mulberry. The research established agricultural use on the quarry's inner slopes.
What does it point to?
At Rano Raraku, statue production and agricultural use were parts of the same landscape. According to researchers, the weathering of quarrying debris and local human activities may have contributed to the formation of fertile soils here.
What did it teach us?
- Showed that the moai production center was also an area under cultivation.
- Documented through botanical data that agricultural use extended from the 14th century AD to the early 19th century.
- Revealed that statue production, soil formation, and agriculture should be studied together.
Images
Latest news / selected archive
In 2023, a previously unrecorded moai approximately 1.6 meters long was found in the dried lakebed within the Rano Raraku crater.
Record
- Culture
- Rapa Nui
- Team / historical
- Easter Island Statue Project; Jo Anne Van Tilburg and Cristián Arévalo Pakarati
- Coordinates
- -27.1239°, -109.2861°
Sources
Nearby excavations
- Monte Verde Archaeological Site 3,644 km
- Sacred City of Caral-Supe 3,778 km
- Cahuachi Ceremonial Centre 3,787 km
- Chankillo Archaeoastronomical Complex 3,797 km
- El Brujo Archaeological Complex 3,811 km
- Chan Chan 3,818 km
- —
- —
- 12.000
From beneath the soil: latest discoveries
- Cupboard containing personal belongings, childhood amulets and coins found in Pompeii
Grooming items, 38 bronze coins and a necklace made up of at least 24 amulets were found in a cupboard in a house in Pompeii that had remained closed since the eruption in AD 79. The preservation of these objects together provides detailed information about everyday life and personal mementos in Roman times.
Arkeofili ↗ · Excavation notebook - Roman-period sarcophagus of a child buried with toys found in Romania
A wheeled toy horse, a rooster-shaped rattle, jewelry and organic remains were recovered from a sealed child’s sarcophagus dating back approximately 1,800 years in the ancient city of Tomis. The preservation of wooden coffin fragments and the shroud also offers a rare opportunity to study child burials in Roman times.
HeritageDaily ↗ - Roman-period grave found in the seating area of the ancient theater in Gölyazı
A tile-covered grave dating to the 1st century AD and containing cremated human remains was uncovered in the theater of Apollonia ad Rhyndacum. Why the burial took place in the theater despite the city having a separate cemetery remains unknown; the find raises new questions about the use of public spaces.
Arkeofili ↗ - Marble portrait of Antinoos and 13 inscriptions found at Teos
A marble portrait of Antinoos and 13 inscriptions on reused stone blocks were found around the Temple of Roma and Augustus at Teos. The inscriptions shed light on the city’s political and legal relations, while researchers say the portrait and inscription fragments show that the temple was also connected to the cult of Antinoos.
Arkeofili ↗ · Excavation notebook - 30,000-year-old human DNA reveals connections between distant communities in Europe
The approximately 30,000-year-old genome of a woman from Isturitz Cave in France was analyzed alongside DNA obtained from cave sediments and other human remains. According to researchers, the results show that gene flow occurred between eastern and western communities in Ice Age Europe and that these groups were more connected than previously thought.
Arkeofili ↗ - Terracotta female figure found in the ditch of a 1,500-year-old tomb in Japan
A terracotta female figure retaining traces of red paint was found in the ditch of a burial mound dating to the late 5th century at the Nishikaminomiya excavation site. According to researchers, the object depicts a shaman and is one of the rare, well-preserved examples of early human-shaped haniwa from the Gunma region.
Arkeofili ↗ - Inscribed burial chamber of an official named Weni found at Saqqara
A burial chamber decorated with inscriptions identifying the Old Kingdom official Weni and his duties was found at Saqqara, along with two wooden statues and bronze tools. The finds shed light on the funerary practices of the ruling class of the period; researchers say the tools may have served medical purposes, but their functions have yet to be confirmed.
Arkeofili ↗ - Grave of a child buried with copper objects and 32 ceramic items found in Peru
Copper objects and 32 ceramic items, including depictions of captives, were found in a child’s grave dating to the 6th or 7th century at Huacas de Moche. According to researchers, the richness of the burial indicates the child’s high status and provides new evidence for the use of objects associated with adult rituals in child funerals.
Arkeofili ↗
All excavation sites (389)
Türkiye
- Acemhöyük
- Aizanoi
- Alabanda
- Alacahöyük
- Amos
- Ani
- Aphrodisias
- Arslantepe Mound
- Aspendos
- Assos
- Ayanis Fortress
- Aşıklı Höyük
- Barcın Höyük
- Blaundus
- Boncuklu Höyük
- Can Hasan I
- Carchemish
- Claros Sanctuary
- Clazomenae
- Domuztepe
- Ephesus
- Euromus
- Gordion
- Göbekli Tepe
- Hadrianopolis in Paphlagonia
- Hattusha
- Hierapolis
- Iasos
- Kaman-Kalehöyük
- Karahantepe
- Karatepe-Aslantaş
- Kaunos
- Kibyra
- Knidos
- Kültepe-Kanesh
- Laodicea on the Lycus
- Letoon Sanctuary
- Limyra
- Magnesia on the Maeander
- Medieval City of Beçin
- Metropolis in Ionia
- Miletus
- Myra
- Nemrut Dağ
- Notion
- Nysa on the Maeander
- Olympus in Lycia
- Oymaağaç Höyük — Nerik
- Patara
- Pergamon
- Perge
- Phaselis
- Priene
- Sagalassos
- Sanctuary of Apollo at Didyma
- Sanctuary of Labraunda
- Sapinuwa
- Sardis
- Sayburç
- Side
- Stratonikeia
- Tell Atchana – Alalakh
- Tell Tayinat
- Teos
- Tripolis on the Meander
- Troy
- Uluburun Shipwreck
- Xanthos
- Yenikapı – Theodosian Harbour Excavations
- Yeşilova Höyük
- Yumuktepe
- Zerzevan Castle
- Zeugma
- Zincirli Höyük — Sam'al
- Çatalhöyük
- Çavuştepe Fortress
- Çayönü
- Çukuriçi Höyük
