Neolithic 'Devil's Arrow' Stones Traveled 11 Miles, Study Confirms Human Effort Over Glacial Movement
A new study by researchers at the University of York and Curtin University in Australia has revealed that the massive Neolithic 'Devil’s Arrow' stones in Yorkshire, England, were transported 11 miles (18 km) by human effort from Brimham Rocks. This finding settles a long-standing debate about whether these 25-tonne megaliths were moved by ancient communities or by ice-age glaciers. The geological analysis, which included isotopic 'fingerprinting' of the stones, confirmed that Neolithic builders deliberately bypassed closer stone sources to bring the giant megaliths from a specific, distant landscape. The study also confirmed a 19th-century theory that a missing fourth stone is now part of the Battle Cross in the nearby village of Aldborough. The three surviving pillars near Boroughbridge are among the tallest standing stone rows in Britain, exceeding the height of stones at Stonehenge.
