Ancient stones reveal long journey across Britain
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Researchers traced stones known as “Devil’s Arrows” to their origin point, revealing a 4,000-year-old story of prehistoric engineering in North Yorkshire, England.
Anthony Clarke of Curtin University and his team studied the three standing stones at Boroughbridge, finding they align roughly north-northwest to south-southeast over a distance of 174 meters. These stones form the longest surviving stone row in Britain, with the southern stone ranking as the second tallest monolith and the central stone as the third.
The scientists determined the stones originally came from Brimham Rocks, a rock formation 18 kilometers away, rather than the closer Plumpton Rocks previously thought to be the source. They analyzed crystals within the stones to compare their chemical signatures and rule out glacial transport, finding the local ice flow moved south, not east. The research suggests the builders deliberately chose Brimham Rocks, despite the greater distance, mirroring patterns observed at Stonehenge where monument creators prioritized symbolically important stone sources.
Clarke explained that the stones weren’t simply taken from the nearest location, but were “selected deliberately from a challenging location 18 kilometers away.” Each stone weighs over 25 tons, demonstrating significant planning and skill in their transportation.
