Devil’s Arrows: Ancient builders hauled 55,000-pound stones 11 miles for Britain’s tallest stone row
Britain’s towering Devil’s Arrows were built from 25-tonne stones hauled at least 18 kilometers from Brimham Rocks around 4,000 years ago. The discovery reveals an astonishing feat of prehistoric engineering and suggests the stones’ distant source may have been chosen for cultural or spiritual reasons.
Ancient builders transported massive 25-tonne stones over at least 18 kilometers to construct Britain's tallest surviving prehistoric stone row, known as the Devil's Arrows. A new study led by Curtin University and the University of York reveals these stones originated from the rugged Brimham Rocks in North Yorkshire, challenging previous assumptions about their source.
The seven-meter-tall stones, dating back to the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age, were likely moved and erected around 2000 B.C. The researchers used a noninvasive method involving adhesive tape to collect mineral grains from the stones, analyzing their age fingerprints to pinpoint the source. This discovery highlights the intentional selection of the site based on its geological and symbolic significance, and the immense effort required for transportation and erection.
The researchers plan to apply their method to other standing stones and conduct excavations at both the monument and its source site.
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