Easter Island

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

"The people of Eastern Island represent another classic "lost" civilization, famed in part for its enigmatic, enormous stone statues of human heads (called Moai) lined up along the island's coastline. How did this thriving Polynesian civilization disappear after centuries of monument-building and navigating hundreds of miles of ocean waters to go from island to island?

Jared Diamond sums up what many scientists now believe in his book "Collapse," which is that the Easter Islanders were incredibly sophisticated, but their methods weren't sustainable. 

The current theory is that between 700-1200 AD, they used up all the island's trees and agricultural resources, and then had to move on." - Annalee Newitz