Thor Heyerdahl expeditions in mid 50s is what brought Easter Island and its figures to everyone's attention. These were truly captivating adventures, very intri

Thor Heyerdahl expeditions in mid 50s is what brought Easter Island and its figures to everyone's attention. These were truly captivating adventures, very intriguing and original, and as such they were widely publicized. As a part of the research his team carved, transported and installed a replica figure using only rudimentary tools. And this figure was - wait for it - a head. I would guess that this could've been just the thing that cemented the idea of figures being heads in public's minds, including those of future Easter Island researchers. [0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor_Heyerdahl http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor_Heyerdahl