EASTER ISLAND / CHILE — Easter Island's Moai[e] stone monoliths might have been created out of the belief they would make crops more fertile, according to new research by the University of California, Los Angeles.<br /><br />According to a UCLA press release, ancient Easter Islanders built over 1,000 Moai statues under the direction of the ruling elite in a remarkable feat of human engineering.<br /><br />According to the study, published in the Journal of Archeological Sciences, Rano Raraku quarry is the origin point for over 95 percent of all Moai statues.<br /><br />Researchers studied two monoliths found in the quarry and took extensive soil samples from the surrounding areas.<br /><br />Analysis by the researchers found that quarrying would have helped in releasing clay soil that is rich in phosphorus and calcium.<br /><br />Those elements would have helped the growth of bananas, sweet potatoes and taro that Easter Islanders grew extensively near the quarry.
