<P> The large stone statues , or moai , for which Easter Island is famous , were carved in the period 1100 -- 1680 CE ( rectified radio - carbon dates ) . A total of 887 monolithic stone statues have been inventoried on the island and in museum collections . Although often identified as `` Easter Island heads '' , the statues have torsos , most of them ending at the top of the thighs , although a small number are complete figures that kneel on bent knees with their hands over their stomachs . Some upright moai have become buried up to their necks by shifting soils . </P>
<P> The large stone statues , or moai , for which Easter Island is famous , were carved in the period 1100 -- 1680 CE ( rectified radio - carbon dates ) . A total of 887 monolithic stone statues have been inventoried on the island and in museum collections . Although often identified as `` Easter Island heads '' , the statues have torsos , most of them ending at the top of the thighs , although a small number are complete figures that kneel on bent knees with their hands over their stomachs . Some upright moai have become buried up to their necks by shifting soils . </P>
when were the statues on easter island built
when were the statues on easter island built
1100 -- 1680 CE
1100 -- 1680 CE