Brimham connection redraws the landscape behind the Devil’s Arrows

Archaeonews Summary

The Devil’s Arrows at Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire, England, have been matched to Brimham Rocks, at least 18 kilometres away, through analysis of mineral grains collected with adhesive tape. The Curtin University and University of York team, led by Anthony Clarke, compared the grains’ geological age patterns to identify the source of the monoliths, reported to weigh more than 25 tonnes each.

Announced on 9 September, the research places their origin at Brimham rather than the previously favoured Plumpton Rocks. The monument is attributed to the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age, possibly around 2000 BC, but the announcement gives no archaeological dating method for its erection. Dating minerals establishes a geological fingerprint; it does not establish when people moved the stones. ([Curtin University][1])

Why It Matters

The result revises an established account: Historic England’s monument record still identifies Plumpton Rocks as the source. That record also places the alignment within a wider prehistoric landscape of henges and burial mounds around the River Ure. A firmer source attribution therefore gives researchers another location to investigate when reconstructing how this landscape was built and used. ([Historic England][2])

The distinction between provenance and purpose remains essential. Selecting Brimham stone may have reflected cultural attachments, but the geological match alone cannot establish sacred significance or shared beliefs. Suitable block size and access are practical possibilities that would also need assessment. Nor does a source location by itself reveal the transport route or equipment.

Curtin reports publication in the peer-reviewed Proceedings of the Royal Society A, although the full paper could not be checked here. The immediate gain is a testable connection between two places; explaining the builders’ choices requires archaeological evidence from both. ([Curtin University][1])