Easter Island, famous for its imposing moai statues, is often presented as a case of sudden societal collapse. However, a ...

In his “Island at the Edge of the World,” the British archaeologist Mike Pitts delves into the misconceptions and legends ...

Still, the fancy persists, implanted like a microchip, ever since Erich von Däniken’s 1968 best-seller, “Chariots of the Gods ...

Easter Island has long been misunderstood by the West. A new book by Mike Pitts sets the record straight.

A newly reconstructed rainfall record shows that prolonged drought, not societal collapse, reshaped Rapa Nui’s history.

In “Island at the Edge of the World,” Mike Pitts tells the story of the people who carved the giant heads on the remotest inhabited place on Earth.

Archaeologists say a 3D model of a centuries-old quarry of unfinished stone head statues on Easter Island offers new clues about how these monuments were made and the Polynesian society that brought ...

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." For decades, archeologists have debated whether the writing system of Rapa Nui (Easter Island), known as ...

Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, is often portrayed in popular culture as an enigma. The rationale is clear: The tiny, remote island in the Pacific features nearly 1,000 enormous statues—the ...