The origin of Maltese cart-ruts : cut by wheels or tools?

Abstract

The origin and means of formation of the cart ruts of Malta have been matters of debate for almost a century. The principal contenders for rut formation have been wheeled vehicles, sleds, slide cars and cutting with hand tools. Most recent authors have discounted both sleds and slide cars. The former, to be of sufficient magnitude, would create unmanageable amounts of friction, whilst there is neither archaeological nor historical evidence for the latter. The most recent publications on this topic have advocated wheeled vehicles or hand cutting.The former combine field observation of rut form with geotechnical information on rock strength, and conclude that the passage of wheels of, for instance, a two-wheeled cart, would create more than sufficient stress on the rock beneath to cause erosion of the local rock. The latter makes the assertion that 'there is clear evidence of ancient tool marks' , and concludes that cutting by hand played a significant part in rut formation. This conclusion is illustrated by two photographs of field sites showing small-scale rock surface morphologies which are interpreted as ancient tooling marks. The current paper questions such an interpretation, and whether the conclusions derived from it can be sustained by the evidence provided.