Some Notes on the Rapanui Archaeoastronomy

Abstract: This paper is dedicated to the research of secrets of Easter Island (Rapa Nui), a remote plot of land in the Pacific; the work includes not only necessary ethnological data, but also some results on the archaeoastronomy. The analysis of several rock drawings lets us date them. The priests Hina Mango and Rahu (Rahi) were not only experts on the script, but also great astronomers. There is abundant evidence that the priests-astronomers used the astrolabe in their studies. The local astronomical terminology has been decoded. The observatory at the ceremonial platform Ahu Tongariki has been investigated carefully. The orientation of a female statue on the slope of the Rano Raraku volcano allows us to suggest that it was an image of the Moon (the moon goddess). A number of additional astronomical and calendar records in the rock art and in the writing have been deciphered.