Prehistoric builders transported Devil's Arrows 11 miles

Stonehenge, a renowned example of megalithic architecture in Britain and Ireland, is not the only such structure in the region. Calanais, Newgrange, Avebury, and the Devil's Arrows are among others. The Devil's Arrows, Britain's tallest standing stone alignment, have been the subject of recent research. Scientists have determined that the stones were transported from a site 18 kilometers (11 miles) away, rather than having been moved by glacial activity, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society A. Co-author Jim Leary of the University of York emphasized that while southern England and Scotland receive significant attention, monuments like the Devil's Arrows have been relatively understudied.

The research reveals that Neolithic communities transported several 25-ton stones across Yorkshire, turning a familiar site into an epic quest to create a sacred landscape. Previous chemical analyses have shown that many of Stonehenge's stones originated from quarries far away, such as the 42 bluestones from western Wales and the sarsen stones from Marlborough Downs, 25 to 30 kilometers (17 miles) north of Stonehenge.