Ancient Britons Hauled 25-Tonne Stones 11 Miles for Devil's Arrows

Ancient builders hauled enormous 25-tonne (55,000-pound) stones at least 18 kilometers (11 miles) to create Britain's tallest surviving prehistoric stone row, according to new research into the iconic Devil's Arrows. The study, led by Curtin University in collaboration with the University of York, is the first to pinpoint the geological source of the towering stones, which rise as high as seven meters (23 feet) near Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire.

Researchers traced the stones to Brimham Rocks, a rugged area in North Yorkshire, rather than Plumpton Rocks, a closer site that had previously been identified as the probable source. The stones were transported and raised during the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age, possibly around 2000 B.C.

"Our research shows these stones weren't simply taken from the nearest available source — they were deliberately chosen from a challenging landscape 18 kilometers away," said lead author Dr. Anthony Clarke of Curtin's School of Earth and Planetary Sciences. "Each stone weighs more than 25 tonnes, so moving them would have required incredible planning, coordination and engineering skill." Co-author Dr. Jim Leary of the University of York said the findings show that "ancient communities were making deliberate and meaningful choices about where their stones came from," highlighting the importance of landscape and shared belief systems.

To trace the stones' origin, researchers used a new low-impact technique: adhesive tape collected tiny mineral grains from the stones without damaging the monument, and the age "fingerprints" of those grains were compared with geological samples from possible source sites. The results matched Brimham Rocks and ruled out natural explanations such as glacial movement, confirming the stones were deliberately moved by people.

The researchers now plan to apply the non-invasive technique to other standing stones whose origins remain uncertain, and hope to carry out targeted excavations at both the Devil's Arrows and Brimham Rocks. The study was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society A.