When it comes to ancient stone structures, the first name that usually comes to mind is 'Stonehenge'. The 'Devil's Arrows' are a group of three huge stones near Boroughbridge, estimated to be around 4,500–5,000 years old, but there is another prehistoric monument in Yorkshire that has puzzled scientists for centuries. Now the mystery of 'Devil's Arrows' has been revealed. A study has revealed how prehistoric people could have transported 25-tonne stones 11 miles across Yorkshire to create this special site 5,000 years ago.
The weight of each stone here is about 25 tons and its height is about 23 feet (seven meters). How did these huge stones get there? This thing was not clear till now, but now scientists from the University of York and Curtin University believe that they have solved this mystery. Their new analysis shows that these stones were brought from 'Brimham Rocks' located about 11 miles (18 km) away.
Dr. Jim Leary of the University of York has informed that a lot of attention is paid to the sites in southern England and Scotland, but monuments like 'Devil's Arrows' have received comparatively less study, despite their importance. He said it has now been proven that Neolithic communities in Yorkshire transported several stones weighing 25-tonne up to 18 km away and transformed a well-known site into a massive operation to turn it into a sacred site. The 'Devil's Arrows' extend 174 meters across on the western outskirts of Boroughbridge. These date back to around 2500-2000 BC, making them one of the oldest stone structures in the UK.
While the 'Devil's Arrows' stand on Triassic Sherwood Sandstone, the stones themselves are made of Pennine Basin Millstone Grit. This has raised questions as to how it reached its current location in Boroughbridge? Some experts argue that humans brought them there, while others believe that they were brought by ice-age glaciers. To end this debate forever, researchers analyzed the minerals present in the stones. Dr. Anthony Clark, a geochemist at Curtin University in Australia, said that our research shows that these stones were not just taken from the nearest source, but they were deliberately selected from a difficult area 18 kilometers away. Plumpton Rocks, which is closer to Devil's Arrows, was previously considered a possible source of these stones. Their new analysis shows that the stones were brought from Brimham Rocks (pictured), about 11 miles (18 km) away.
What are the Devil's Arrows?
Devil's Arrows is in North Yorkshire, England. This is a famous row of prehistoric standing stones (Menhirs or Standing Stones) located near Boroughbridge. According to historians, these stones belong to the end of the Neolithic period or the beginning of the Bronze Age, which is considered to be around 2000 BC. The Devil's Arrows, near Boroughbridge in northern England, are up to seven meters high and form a unique sequence of stones in the lowland. These stones are believed to have been brought and erected during the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age (probably around 2000 BC). Although three stones remain at present, historical records show that there used to be at least five stones at this place.
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