moai

Vast amounts of timber would have been required to transport and erect the giant moai , and slowly but surely , the forests vanished .

运输和竖立巨型石像需要大量木材，于是渐渐地，森林消失了。

While there is a fairly solid consensus on why the Moai were erected , how the islanders did it is still up for debate .

对于为什么竖立摩埃石像，人们达成了广泛的共识；但是，对于岛上居民是怎样做到的，人们还是争论不休。

No one knows how the Moai came to be .

没有人确切地知道毛埃的来历。

Like Stonehenge , no one really knows the story behind the 887 Easter Island moai statues .

它和英国的石头阵一样，没人知道887年复活节岛雕像摩埃背后真正的故事。

The island has become well known for the massive rock sculptures called Moai that dot its beaches .

岛上的大型石刻举世闻名，叫做“摩艾石像”，散布沙滩。

This particular Moai , these five ladies

这个特殊的魔埃，这五个女人

And over there more moai , standing looking into the crater itself .

那逼再有石像面向火山口道逼。

And if you 're in a Moai you 're expected to share the bounty if you encounter luck ,

如果你在魔埃碰到好运的话能与人分享馈�

They call it a Moai .

他们称作魔埃

The Mystery ： While there is a fairly solid consensus on why the Moai were erected , how the islanders did it is still up for debate .

谜团：现在，摩艾石像竖立于岛屿之上的原因已达成共识，但对于岛上居民是如何做到的仍旧争论不休。

The average Moai weighs several tons , and for years scientists were at a loss to describe how the monuments were transported from Rano Raraku , where most of them were constructed , to their various locations around the island .

摩埃石像平均重达数吨，多年来科学家仍然无法得知摩埃石像是如何从拉诺拉拉库（RanoRaraku）——摩埃石像的生产基地——运到岛上各处的。

In recent years , the most popular theory is that the builders used wooden sleds and log rollers to move the Moai , an answer that would also explain how the once verdant island became almost totally barren due to deforestation .

近几年，最普遍的推测是建造者用木质推车和原木滚筒来移动摩艾石像，这个答案同时也能解释为什么翠绿的小岛会因伐木而贫瘠。

The Moai were carved sometime between 1250 and 1500 AD by the island 's earliest inhabitants , and are believed to depict the people 's ancestors , who in their culture were held in the same regard as deities .

摩埃石像是由该岛最早期居民于公元1250年至1500年间雕刻而成。人们认为，摩埃石描绘的是该岛最早期居民的祖先，他们的文化视其祖先为神灵。

One of the most iconic series of monuments in the Pacific islands is the Moai , a group of huge statues of exaggerated human figures that are found only on the small , isolated island of Rapa Nui , or Easter Island .

太平洋岛屿上最具标志性的遗迹是摩艾石像，一批用巨石雕成的夸张人物造型，只发现于小而孤立的拉帕努伊岛或复活节岛。

The Moai were chiseled and carved from tuff , a volcanic rock that is prevalent on the island , and they all feature the same characteristics of an oversized head , broad nose , and a mysterious , indecipherable facial expression .

摩埃石像是用岛上常见的的凝灰岩和火山岩刻雕刻而成。它们都具有相同的特征，即超大的头部，宽大的鼻子和神秘的难以辨认的面部表情。

It is a strange and desolate place . The most striking features in this bleak and windswept landscape are the hundreds of giant stone statues , known as moai , thought to be carved in the likeness of chiefs or ancestors .

这是一个奇特且荒凉的地方，而在这片暴露在风中的荒野上最显著的特征就是数百座被称为摩艾的巨型石像，应该是照着酋长或是祖先的样子雕刻的。