Devil's Arrows: Ancient builders hauled 55k-lb stones 11 miles for UK stone row

Recorded: Sept. 14, 2026, 1 p.m.

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Devil’s Arrows: Ancient builders hauled 55,000-pound stones 11 miles for Britain’s tallest stone row | ScienceDaily

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Devil’s Arrows: Ancient builders hauled 55,000-pound stones 11 miles for Britain’s tallest stone row

Date:
September 9, 2026
Source:
Curtin University
Summary:
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.
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FULL STORY

New research has solved a long-standing mystery surrounding Britain’s tallest surviving prehistoric stone row, the Devil’s Arrows in northern England. Credit: Stock

Ancient builders hauled enormous 25-tonne (55,000-pound) stones across 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, UK, is the first to pinpoint the geological source of the towering stones. Researchers traced them to Brimham Rocks, a rugged area in North Yorkshire.
Located near Boroughbridge in northern England, the Devil's Arrows rise as high as seven meters (23 feet). They form an unusual stone alignment in a lowland landscape, and despite their striking size, scientists had not been able to determine where the stones originally came from.
Researchers believe the stones were transported and raised during the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age, possibly around 2000 BC.
A Distant Source for Britain's Giant Stones
Lead author Dr. Anthony Clarke, from the Timescales of Mineral Systems Group within Curtin's School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said the discovery challenges previous ideas about the decisions prehistoric people made when constructing major monuments.
"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," Dr. Clarke said.

"Plumpton Rocks, which is closer to the Devil's Arrows, had previously been identified as the probable source of the stones. Our findings instead point to Brimham Rocks, showing that prehistoric builders transported these enormous stones significantly further than thought.
"Each stone weighs more than 25 tonnes, so moving them would have required incredible planning, coordination and engineering skill.
"This tells us prehistoric people placed real importance on the landscape itself. It wasn't just about convenience -- the location the stones came from likely held meaning for them."
The findings suggest that the builders were not simply choosing the easiest or closest source of stone. Instead, the landscape around Brimham Rocks may have carried cultural, symbolic, or spiritual significance.
Co-author Dr. Jim Leary from the University of York said the discovery changes how researchers can interpret prehistoric monument building.
"These results show that ancient communities were making deliberate and meaningful choices about where their stones came from," Dr. Leary said.

"It highlights the importance of landscape and shared belief systems, as well as the remarkable effort involved in transporting and raising stones of this size."
Mineral Fingerprints Reveal the Stones' Origin
To determine where the stones came from, the researchers used a new low-impact sampling technique. Adhesive tape allowed them to collect tiny mineral grains from the stones without damaging the monument.
They then analyzed the age "fingerprints" of those grains and compared them with geological samples from possible source locations. The results matched the Devil's Arrows to Brimham Rocks.
The evidence also allowed the team to rule out natural explanations such as glacial movement. That means the enormous stones were intentionally moved to the monument site by people.
New Clues to Prehistoric Engineering
Dr. Clarke said the researchers now plan to use their non-invasive technique on other standing stones whose origins remain uncertain. They also hope to carry out targeted excavations at both the Devil's Arrows and the newly identified source area.
"These next steps could help us better understand when the stones were moved and how these extraordinary monuments were constructed," Dr. Clarke said.
Justin Scully, National Trust General Manager for Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal and Brimham Rocks, said the findings establish a direct connection between Brimham Rocks and the Devil's Arrows, linking two distinctive Yorkshire landscapes.
"We're incredibly grateful to the researchers for helping us uncover this new chapter in the stones' story and deepen our understanding of the people who shaped this landscape thousands of years ago," Mr. Scully said.
"The Devil's Arrows are deeply cherished by local communities, and we're delighted that this discovery adds a new chapter to their story."
The study, "Deliberate Prehistoric Sourcing of the Devil's Arrows, Britain's Tallest Stone Row," was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society A.

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New research involving Curtin University and the University of York has provided a definitive geological source for the stones used in Britain's tallest prehistoric stone row, the Devil's Arrows. The study determined that ancient builders transported enormous stones, each weighing over 25 tonnes, a distance of at least 18 kilometers or 11 miles, from Brimham Rocks in North Yorkshire. This finding fundamentally challenges previous assumptions about prehistoric monument construction, suggesting that these builders made deliberate, long-distance choices guided by cultural or spiritual significance rather than mere convenience or proximity to the nearest stone source.

The research indicates that the stones were intentionally moved, requiring considerable planning, coordination, and advanced engineering skills, given the immense weight involved. Lead author Dr. Anthony Clarke noted that this discovery reframes the understanding of prehistoric decision-making, implying that the landscape, specifically the area around Brimham Rocks, held meaning for the builders. This suggests that the selection of the source was tied to inherent cultural, symbolic, or spiritual importance, linking the builders directly to the physical environment. Co-author Dr. Jim Leary elaborated that these results underscore the importance of landscape and shared belief systems when interpreting the construction of prehistoric monuments.

To establish this origin, the researchers employed a novel, low-impact sampling technique using adhesive tape to collect minute mineral grains from the stones. By analyzing the age fingerprints of these grains and comparing them with geological samples from potential source locations, the team successfully matched the materials of the Devil's Arrows to Brimham Rocks. Crucially, this method provided evidence that the stones were intentionally transported, effectively ruling out natural geological explanations such as glacial movement as the mechanism for their relocation.

This new sourcing information alters the historical narrative of the Devil's Arrows by creating a direct and physically verifiable connection between the disparate Yorkshire landscapes of Brimham Rocks and the monument site. Justin Scully, National Trust General Manager for Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal and Brimham Rocks, expressed gratitude for the findings, highlighting how this research deepens the understanding of the people who shaped the region thousands of years ago. Moving forward, the research team plans to apply this non-invasive technique to other standing stones whose origins are currently unknown and intends to conduct targeted excavations at both the Devil's Arrows and the newly identified source area to further illuminate the chronology of their construction and the engineering involved.