Nestled in the quiet countryside of North Yorkshire, these formidable stones, the tallest of which stands a towering 22.5 feet, make up the Devil's Arrows. Previously, it was theorized that these stones were plucked from Plumpton Rocks, a neighboring site eight miles away. However, in 2026, an astonishing discovery was made - these stones had actually originated from Brimham Rocks, a staggering 18 kilometers away.
Scientists from Curtin University and the University of York used isotopic fingerprinting to determine the stones originated at Brimham Rocks. The study also found that the Battle Cross at Aldborough has the same geological fingerprint as the surviving Arrows, supporting its identification as a repurposed fourth stone from the original monument. It is thought that the stones may have been arranged to align with the southernmost summer moonrise.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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