Easter Island - Birthplace of the world?

On a tiny volcanic island in the south pacific ocean, 4000 kilometers off of the coast of the south american nation of chile, enormous rock statues guard the coastline. they are the megaliths of easter island, mysterious remnants of a lost culture. in 380 a.d., settlers landed on this lush island and made it their own. over the next 1000 years, they erected over 600 giant stone statues, called moai, which stand up to 40 feet tall and weigh more than 80 tons. these statues were carved by rudimentary tools out of volcanic mountains and placed up to 14 miles away from the site of their creation at strategic vantage points on the outlying beaches and cliffs. eventually deforestation and wars led to famine, and the struggling inhabitants were picked off by disease, violence, and slave traders until nothing of their society remained except for the silent monuments.
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