# Lipo 2025: The walking moai hypothesis: Archaeological evidence, experimental validation, and response to critics

> Carl P. Lipo, Terry L. Hunt, 2025. 6 records on Mysteries Department cite it. The current state of the transport question.

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CTG2R1M3QWE/the-walking-moai-hypothesis-archaeological-evidence  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page)  

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[Sources](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources)[Easter Island moai](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/easter-island-moai)Lipo 2025

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# The walking moai hypothesis: Archaeological evidence, experimental validation, and response to critics

Carl P. Lipo, Terry L. Hunt, 2025. _Journal of Archaeological Science_.

Restates the evidence for walking (base form, lean, road profiles, fallen road statues) and answers the objections raised since 2013, with physical modelling of the forces.

**Easter Island moai** Articledoi: **[10.1016/j.jas.2025.106383](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2025.106383)** Checked against the original0

## What it's used for here

The current state of the transport question.

## Cited by on this site 6 records

[Statues were dragged horizontally on wooden sledges or rollers.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/easter-island-moai/answers/ANS0CTG32HJ5FAS/statues-were-dragged-horizontally-on-wooden-sledges-or)

Answer

ANS

[A 1998 horizontal-sled experiment moved a replica but needed many more people per tonne.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/easter-island-moai/evidence/EVD0CTG32SC7117/a-1998-horizontal-sled-experiment-moved-a-replica-but-needed)

Evidence

EVD

[Fall orientations on slopes match walking.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/easter-island-moai/evidence/EVD0CTG31T42K02/fall-orientations-on-slopes-match-walking)

Evidence

EVD

[No full-size tuff statue has been walked, and the largest moved statues are 20 times the replica's mass.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/easter-island-moai/evidence/EVD0CTG329R43ET/no-full-size-tuff-statue-has-been-walked-and-the-largest)

Evidence

EVD

[The Easter Island moai](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/easter-island-moai)

The mystery article

MYS

[How were the moai moved from the quarry to the ahu?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/easter-island-moai/questions/QST0CTG303E013Y/how-were-the-moai-moved-from-the-quarry-to-the-ahu)

Question

QST

## Cite it

```
Lipo, C. P., & Hunt, T. L. (2025). The walking moai hypothesis: Archaeological evidence, experimental validation, and response to critics. Journal of Archaeological Science. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2025.106383
```

[Find it at doi.org](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2025.106383)

Key

**SRC** 0CTG2R1M3QWE

Kind

Journal article

Rights

The publisher's

Kept

27 Oct 2026, for editors

Checked

Against the published article

Added by

[apollo](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)

The record

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