Pavel Pavel

Pavel Pavel (born 1957) is a Czech engineer and anthropological researcher.

Inspired by Thor Heyerdahl's "Kon-Tiki", he set out to demonstrate how the monolithic Moai of Easter Island might have been moved into place by a small number of people using only rudimentary technologies. He conducted a practice experiment in 1981 in south Bohemia using a concrete model (4.5 m, 12 tonnes). In 1986 he was invited by Heyerdahl to Easter Island to test his experiment in its actual setting, where he successfully replicated the experiment. Only 16 people with one leader were needed for relatively fast statue transportation.

He then performed some further experiments. He and five assistants using only wooden sledges erected and moved a 30-ton rocking stone at the village of Kadov to its original location, from where it had been removed by unknown vandals in the 19th century. He estimated that only 160 people with similar simple technology would have been necessary for transportation of the 800 ton stones in Baalbek.

External links

* [http://www.radio.cz/en/article/35755 Article on Pavel's visit to Easter Island]
* [http://www.svet.czsk.net/clanky/osobnosti/pavel.html Pavel Pavel: Muž, který rozchodil sochy moai]
* [http://www.museumsnett.no/kon-tiki/Research/Papers/walking_statue.html The "Walking" Moai of Easter Island]