I recall that the Moai (https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Moai https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Moai) were transported horizontally q

I recall that the Moai (https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Moai https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Moai) were transported horizontally quite a ways from their quarry to their pediments. >IF< the inscriptions are on these prone stones then perhaps it was so that two stone carvers could carve two lines simultaneously thereby halving the time to complete their work. By inverting the second line the second carver doesn't have to write upside down. The carvers just face each other while squatting on the stone's face and start at opposite sides of the face working past each other. If this style of inscription occurs frequently on stone surfaces not likely to be transported then this theory is unlikely. EDIT: answering the reply below - the above technique can be applied to any number of lines. As in pipeline processing for vector computers (https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Pipeline_%28software%29 https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Pipeline_%28s...) the last operations do not fully utilize the available capacity of the system. In the case of inscribing in stone - the last line only needs the labor of one carver. As for frustrating - I'd find carving in stone quite tedious in any case. I may still be mistaken but I don't think it's for the reasons you gave.