Archaeologists have determined that the stones forming the Devil’s Arrows near Boroughbridge in northern England—reaching 7 meters in length and weighing more than 25 tons each—were transported from Brimham Rocks, at least 18 km away. The study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society A, challenges the previously proposed theory that the stones came from nearby Plumpton Rocks. The structure is thought to have been built during the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age, probably around 2000 BCE. Researchers identified the stones’ origin by examining the “fingerprints” of tiny mineral grains collected from them with adhesive tape, thereby ruling out the possibility that the stones could have reached this location through glacial movement. The findings indicate that the stones were selected from areas believed to hold special or symbolic significance, rather than for logistical convenience. The team plans to apply the method to other standing stones and investigate when the stones were transported.
Why it matters
The findings alter assessments of the monument’s construction process by showing that the Devil’s Arrows cannot be explained solely by the use of natural sources in the immediate vicinity. Ruling out the possibility that the stones were transported naturally by glacial movement reveals that Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age communities undertook a deliberate transport effort. This raises the question of whether, alongside distance and logistical convenience, the special or symbolic meanings attributed to the areas where the stones were located may also have played a role in their selection. If the research method based on mineral grains is applied to other standing stones, the sources and transport processes of similar structures could be compared; however, the questions of when these stones were transported and what purpose the structure served remain open for now.