Easter Island (or Rapa Nui) is one of the world’s great archaeological sites, and also one of the most remote. The Polynesians who found Rapa Nui brought tools and food, and plants and animals to begin a new life. But the island they found is not a typical Polynesian paradise, it has neither rivers nor protective reefs. But, it had a forest of large palms and other trees, and craters held drinking water.

But, beauty isn’t everything….

The islanders gradually spread across the island, occupying nearly all the available areas. In order to plant their crops, they resorted to slash and burn agriculture to remove the forest cover. Eventually this caused topsoil to erode during storms and, over time, the productivity of the land declined.

They built houses and shrines, and carved enormous statues. The statues were a shrine representative of sacred chiefs and gods.

As statue making increased, the supplies of timber and rope gradually became scarce. The lack of trees meant that canoes could no longer be built, restricting offshore fishing. Without canoes, they could not set off for another island. The Rapanui found themselves trapped in a degrading environment.

The size of the population at its peak is controversial; some put it as high as 7,000; others suggest a higher number. Whatever the population, when combined with environmental deterioration, it was more than this small island could sustain. A powerful warrior class emerged; land was seized and enemy villages destroyed.

Easter Island's long isolation was ended on Easter Sunday in 1722 when a Dutch explorer, Jacob Roggeveen, found the island. He named it for the holy day. One can only imagine the astonishment of the islanders as the first sail in some 1,400 years appeared on the horizon. The Dutch, in turn, were amazed by the large statues, which they thought were made from clay.

The Dutch were also astonished at the conditions on the island. The people were split into warring tribes, and having depleted their natural food supply, cannibalism was rampant. They wondered: how the people could have allowed their island and their culture to deteriorate in such a fashion?