Easter Island Timeline

By longlegskiltman
  • 400

    Linguistic evidence of Polynesians on Easter Island

    Linguists suggest that the arrival of the Polynesians on Easter Island occurred around 400AC
  • 520

    Hotu Matu'a arrives on Easter Island

    According to Easter Island legend, the first settlers arrived under the leadership of a Polynesian chief named Hotu Matu'a around 1,500 years ago. He and his extended family landed at Anakena Beach, either seeking new lands or fleeing conflict, driven by the strong motivation early Polynesians had to explore and inhabit new islands.
  • 700

    First archeological evidence of the Polynesians on Easter Island

    The first actual archaeological evidence of the Polynesians arriving on Easter Island points to a slightly later settlement between AD 700 and AD 800.
  • 1100

    Construction of the moai began

    Archaeological evidence from Rano Raraku, a quarry on Rapa Nui in a volcanic crater that was the primary source of volcanic tuff which was used to carve the moai statues, indicates that moai construction began around AD 1100.
  • 1280

    Contact with South America

    Human molecular genetic data is obtained. strongly suggesting that some Native Americans arrived early at Rapa Nui, probably as early as AD 1280–1495.
  • 1300

    Gradual intensification of horticultural land use

    Gradual intensification of horticultural land use by the Rapa Nui, continuing until 1650
  • 1400

    Rock gardens first in use

    The Rapa Nui began rock gardening for the first time by using rocks as mulch around individual plants in order to identify various rock covered areas in remote places on the island as locations in which to plant trees.

  • Construction of the moai ceased

    As a result of deforestation, carvers stopped working sometime around the late 17th century, ceasing the construction of new moai and the transportation of built moai as the large trees that were used in the transportation process became diminished.

  • The population of the Rapa Nui people increases and peak agricultural land use

    The Rapa Nui people grew in numbers throughout many different generations, deforestation became a problem for the island. The Rapa Nui people burnt and cut down the trees to clear areas for crops during the peak agricultural land use of the island from 1650-1690. This was during the era of moai construction, where large quantities of wood were needed to transport the large stone statues.

  • Deforestation completed

    Easter Island is completely deforested by 1700.

  • Dutch discover Ester Island

    Dutch captain Jakob Roggeveen lands on Easter Island, bringing diseases with him and estimating the islands population to be 4000.

  • Easter Island made a national park

    Easter Island is made a national park by the Chilean government.

  • Jesuit missionaries arrive on Easter Island

    The first Christian missionary, Eugène Eyraud, arrived on Easter Island in the 1860's and spent most of that year on the island. He reported for the first time the existence of the rongo-rongo tablets; but mass conversion of the Rapa Nui only came after his return in 1866 with Father Hippolyte Roussel.

  • Abduction and enslavement of the Rapa Nui by Peruvian traders

    Peruvian slave raiders arrived on Easter Island, with violent abductions of the Rapa Nui continuing for months, eventually capturing or killing around 1500 men and women, about half of the island's population.

  • Only 110 people descended from the original colonists left

    The 1877 Census shows that only 110 people descended from the original Rapa Nui colonists are left on Easter Island.

  • Rapanui annexed by Chile

    Easter Island becomes part of the nation Chile.

  • Entire island used extensively to raise sheep

    From 1903-1953, the entirety of Easter Island is used extensively to raise sheep. All people on the island are moved into its only town of Hanga Roa.