How were the massive stone statues of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) moved across the island’s rugged terrain without wheels or beasts of burden? And what do these feats of engineering tell us about the people who carved them? Join world-enowned archaeologist Dr. Terry Hunt as he unpacks over 20 years of groundbreaking research on one of the world’s most remote and enigmatic civilizations. In this illustrated lecture, Dr. Hunt shares surprising insights into how the moai—some weighing over 80 tons—were transported, why earlier theories fell short, and what new discoveries reveal about Rapa Nui’s rich cultural legacy.
LECTURE EVENT: The Statues That Walked: Solving the Mysteries of Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
Fall 2025
Meet Your Instructor
TERRY HUNT is an internationally renowned archaeologist and one of the world’s foremost experts on the Pacific Islands. He has conducted field research in Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Samoa, Hawai`i, Rapa Nui (Easter Island), and in synthetic analyses of Polynesian chronology and migration. He taught at the University of Hawai`i for 25 years and has four decades of experience in the Pacific. The National Science Foundation funds his current and continuing field research collaboration on Rapa Nui.
Location
POETRY CENTER
Dorothy Rubel Room
1508 E Helen
Tucson, AZ 85721
United States
Located on the SE corner of Helen Street and Vine Avenue, one block north of Speedway and three blocks west of Campbell Ave.
