For generations, scientists have been fascinated by how the ancient people of Rapa Nui managed to move the island’s enormous moai statues. Now, through a mix of physics, 3D modeling, and hands-on experiments, researchers, including faculty from Binghamton University, New York, have shown that the statues could quite literally “walk” with the help of ropes and a surprisingly small group of people.

After examining nearly 1000 of the stone figures, Binghamton University anthropologist Carl Lipo and University of Arizona researcher Terry Hunt concluded that the islanders probably used ropes to rock the statues from side to side, guiding them forward in a zigzag pattern along specially constructed roads.