GoKawiilNew dating study links Malta's 'cart ruts' to more recent human activity, not prehistory
Researchers re-examining the deep grooves carved into bedrock across Malta and Gozo, long dubbed 'cart ruts' or stone 'railways,' say evidence points to the tracks being formed well after the prehistoric period many had assumed. The findings challenge earlier claims that tied the ruts to Malta's Neolithic or Bronze Age monument builders.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The revised dating could reshape how archaeologists interpret Malta's ancient landscape and the technologies early inhabitants actually used. If the ruts are more recent than believed, theories linking them to prehistoric transport or ritual purposes may need to be revisited, researchers suggest.
- Malta's mysterious bedrock grooves have been dated to a period later than previously assumed.
- The findings challenge long-standing theories tying the ruts to prehistoric monument-building cultures.
- The study could prompt archaeologists to reassess how and when the island's ancient landscape was shaped.
Source: gizmodo.com, 2026-10-20
Published there as: “Archaeologists Thought Malta’s Mysterious Stone ‘Railways’ Were Prehistoric. The Evidence Tells a Different Story”
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