HYPOTHESIS | Malta Cart Ruts Transported Water?

[@DogWalkerBill]

I remember reading that an archeologist became puzzled why the plazas in an Ancient Mayan city (I forget which one) were all tilted. On carful study he/she figured out that all the plazas were tilted to direct rain water to flow to the public cisterns, where it would be saved. Speculation was, if Los Angeles followed a similar plan it's problems with drought would be almost eliminated.

[@wyldefyrewillow]

great comment!

[@peteraschubert]

Yeah - the US seems pretty skewiff already.

[@sneeringimperialist6667]

And the water would taste like tire treads and dog poop...

[@pimpnick4920]

Rainwater is directed to the ocean to save a threatened fish. Fish, I can't remember which species, takes hold in concrete canals. Canals flow at a higher rate than natural rivers, streams, et al, the need for more water flowing to the ocean, so in modern days there is a need for higher flow rates to save said threatened fish

[@Bob-ln1jh]

One sq.mile 12 inches deep comes to about 208544941 us gallons

[@bluebird3281]

I like big ruts and I cannot lie, some historian may deny, that the tracks were laid before bronze was made when the temples were put in place.

[@markrushton5108]

Nice Job. Very Cool.

[@Unkl_Bob]

I like big ruts And I cannot lie, Though some historian May deny. The tracks were laid Before bronze was made When the Temples were put In place ( on foot ?) by BLUE BIRD32

[@elkskiutah8204]

I could learn to like big Rutt's

[@beyondroom3133]

Having been to Malta many times and studied the sites there I can tell you for a fact that some of these ruts run up and down slopes. So how can that transport water? There are some running off cliffs, why do that? Also there is vast amounts of water underground and literally millions of wells and cisterns have been dug there going back thousands of years. Water is easy enough to find there. The fact that the ruts undulate and some are even on their sides on slopes proves they could not have been for moving water. Also the reason no lakes and ponds in Malta is Evaporation. Sunny hot island. If water was in the ruts most of it would be lost as vapour in no time. There is a video on my channel about the Giant legends of Malta which shows just how strange the ruts are. Also they are in places like Sardinia and Portugal even next to rivers and lakes. All the best.

[@MrHunterseeker]

The ruts running off cliffs just prove there were obviously man made structures there at one point to catch the water. Over cliffs? Maybe some sort of contraption/mechanism for a ship to pull up and fill up its bays? Ships used to drop animals off onto islands all the time to populate the islands with animals for ships to resupply with on their normal shipping routes. They would also want fresh water supplies too, so they would have built rain water catchment systems on islands without fresh water they put hogs and other animals on.

[@jamesmcconaghie3679]

The first railroads? You could get your cart loaded, fire up the donkey then take a nap on your way to market.

[@clinttrost5743]

The water thing does not make sense at all unless there were catch basin to collect the water then it could be transported by pipe but to do that in those times you had to really on gravity at no point it can not be higher then the start

[@beyondroom3133]

@@jamesmcconaghie3679 Some of the tracks converge and make sudden left or right turns. Also no hoof wear between the tracks. They are not a transport system for vehicles.

[@beyondroom3133]

@_____ How does water run uphill?

[@malleusflavus1160]

Perhaps your theory is right, or perhaps it is wrong, but your most charming trait is your willingness to openly speculate and invite discussion. No one should be made to feel that such speculating or hypothesizing is only the purview of academics or "professionals." When it comes to anthropology, archaeology, and history, all of us are entitled to an opinion, because we are all participants in the process -- your channel is the very archetype of egalitarian social science. You involve people with the subject matter by making it real and human. I very much enjoy listening to your analyses, interpretations, and rationalizations, even when I do not agree. Best part of the show. Keep it up!

[@robertcurtis9449]

I love ancient history and unexplained technology. I think your channel os amazing

[@Flastew]

Your theory makes sense even mathematically because using one photo you showed the diameter of a cart wheel that would ride in the rut would not be able to make the turn pictured. Another missing part to the rut theory is where are the ruts that would have been made by the animals or slaves that pulled the carts. The ruts I have seen here in America have a shallow rut or pair of ruts in the middle. Which would be from what ever pulled the cart. So your theory holds "water" a little better than just a cart rut. Thanks for sharing. It is fun to theorize about things from the past.

[@stevenmitchell6347]

Prior to the end of the last Ice Age, the Mediterranean Sea didn't exist. The entire area between Africa and Europe was a system of rivers and valleys with "islands" like Malta being the tops of large hills and mountains. The "cart ruts" extending into the sea are indicative of them being created prior to sea level rise approximately 14,000 years ago. While it's entirely possible that these "ruts" carried rainfall downhill from there to residential and agricultural areas, unless and until underwater exploration discovers these areas, speculation will continue.

[@scottbehl216]

Thanks Kayleigh ! This was a good one. Makes you think....

[@elchinator]

There is one open question (or call it a "hole"): why would they create two parallel waterways? Wouldn't one wide one be more efficient? And even if you need two, why make them exactly parallel, when "near to each other" would be sufficient? Why take the hard way, when the easy way is right beside it?!? The idea of early water management is pretty much on point and there has to be more evidence on that. The people back then wouldn't have survived without. But do the "cart ruts" fit in with the picture? Maybe not. All we know by now is that they are not "cart ruts". They are too deep and take too narrow turns for wheels to work. Carts would get stuck.

[@lmkcrazy]

Possibly one runt was for waste.

[@silviac221]

Yes, exactly what I thought. Why 2 parallel waterways? But then again, if these aren't waterways, is there evidence of anything else that could have been used to transport water? Because they clearly needed to do this.

[@GaryArmstrongmacgh]

One for water. One for sewer. Might as well make it look good.

[@Kenshiroit]

Maybe they were not made for carts but a sled. Transport building materials

[@ericmamo5604]

A fence of reeds leaning against a parallel one would form a dew trap for collection of precipitation as done in Chile

[@Unkl_Bob]

It would be interesting to watch during a rainfall. Lets see if and where all the rainwater is affected by the existence of the "ruts". Thanks Athena 😘 for another thought provoking video .

[@missourimongoose8858]

I wonder if they wove water collection blankets like they do in south America today, all you need is fog by the sea and the ruts could be the water collection points

[@fartraveler3345]

Your hypothesis makes perfect sense. I made ruts in our long driveway in the earily spring to drain off the winter thaw. Fun when you're a kid. Well done

[@CMCrockett]

Why cut dual channels when cutting a single one would be more efficient?

[@Morpholaf]

Best way to check this hypothesis could maybe simply be to add water. Pouring water in the tracks would show which way the water would flow, and if there were any collection points where the water would gather. This would show whether or not this hypothesis really hold water =)

[@marcanthonyazzopardi8504]

There is a major hole in the theory however. Why do you ALWAYS need two parallel channels to transport water? Wouldn't one channel do what could be done with two? At least in some cases?

[@marcanthonyazzopardi8504]

@My Channel That idea would also face serious problems: *Water always flows downhill.* So if the two ruts are side by side, they must both be going downhill (or both uphill)

[@marcanthonyazzopardi8504]

@My Channel Of course it is.

[@marcanthonyazzopardi8504]

@My Channel Keep up the amusement.

[@marcanthonyazzopardi8504]

@My Channel Thank god for that.

[@sameer193]

I was planning a trip to Morocco and your Jebel Irhoud video introduced me to your work. Now planning a trip to Malta, and again feel to have benefited a lot. Keep up the good work 👍🏼

[@indricotherium4802]

It would be important to determine if the spacing between the two grooves is constant along the whole length of any trackway and then consider why this would be vital. If the spacing is constant, why would such accuracy be required for channelling water?

[@Harrydewulf]

Consistent spacing often occurs during all kinds of manual construction due to the size of the human body. We see this in many forms of traditional construction. In cutting these shapes into the ground, I would expect to see relatively uniform gaps, either allowing two people to work side by side or to allow one person to have a comfortable flat surface to work on when between two tracks. This being said, it doesn't explain why there are two tracks, not one, or three. Without knowing the technology used to cut them, anything further is pure speculation (although I can think of a couple of techniques where two tracks would be easier to keep straight, and where a second parallel track would be easier to add than a second one further away, on a different course).

[@srice8959]

I can see it needing to be constant so that everyone knows that carts need to be X amount wide so as to not ride in the Tracks

[@christophermacbeth4034]

Because the ruts are nothing but tool marks, from the extraction of stone from the whole area for building purposes elsewhere. That's why the area is so level, or rather has consistent height of the ruts. The stone was probably 12 feet high before it was cut down and removed, - before the ocean rose up too high. Someone knew the flood was coming. It's totally silly to think those ruts had a purpose! - Just tool marks. - but from what kind of machine??

[@Emacspirate]

Interesting theory! Great video

[@williamvdberg1047]

the channel's birthday ... cool happy B-day to your channel ...smiles !!!

[@daleheldberg6568]

I've no idea, just one thing popped into my head seeing this...could they be sledge grooves for moving stone blocks etc. The channels would be for water but to reduce friction of the sledge runners to make it easier to move the sledge....maybe why they are the same width apart all over. Just pulling that out of nowhere...

[@daleheldberg6568]

Wheels couldn't take as much weight as sledge runners

[@ryanroyo3419]

I watched this footage thousand times in any youtuber 🎓 but the most excitement is your laughing Kayleigh ❤❤

[@crackerjack9320]

I love when Kayleigh goes full nerd humor!

[@thylacinenv]

Excellent as always. Limestone pavements located in Lancashire and Co. Clare for example also display features which were previously interpreted as "cart tracks", these are grykes formed by water erosion penetrating linear weaknesses in the limestone.

[@secularsunshine9036]

We have cart ruts in Wyoming (Wagon trails), they look very similar. These ruts were worn into the rocks beginning in the 1840's by settlers headed for California. There are also cart ruts worn into the ancient Roman roads that look similar. I wonder if these Malta ruts could even be more modern dating to WW2? Malta was a military fortress during WW2 with a Siege of Malta. Cannons, Heavy-Artillery and supply wagons in the 1940's still used wooden and iron wheels. I own a 1939 model "A" john Deere Tractor that came new from the factory with steel wheels and paddle like steel cleats, and the front wheels being smooth cast iron, no tires (1939). I use it for mowing along the road. I would also like to see a video explaining how, where and when DNA has been retrieved from Neanderthals and the Denisovans species? I'm curious and am sure it would be very interesting. Your sister was great too.

[@mpetersen6]

One problem with these being wheel ruts. Unless you have a specific destination then you are stuck if you want to get off the beaten path so to say.

[@secularsunshine9036]

@@mpetersen6 *Well, in Wyoming they didn't want to get off the trail and they sure didn't want to get stuck there either, not in 1840.* A fortress suggests fortification or a stronghold with Artillery placements placed around the entire island, which would of required being maned and supplied with heavy lead ammunition. Permanent Outposts keeping a watchful eye. I've visited historic gun placements on the coast of California that look out into the ocean and along the railroad tracks of Vietnam. Particularly into the city of Hanoi, there still there to this day. My Grandfather manned the big huge massive guns that defended Great Britten across the channel during WW2. If your collecting water the system of cannels and channels would merge into common reservoirs or at the very least have low spots where water collects and could be dip out with a ladle, (a hole). Have you explored them with Google earth?

[@peterb3772]

I really need to wear my glasses, I read that as "The Mysterious Cat Ruins" 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Looking forward to it as usual Kayleigh 👌 Love listening to your beautiful voice as always in the trailer 👍👍

[@Atreidez]

If cat ruins exist, I really hope that will be a subject on the next video!

[@MrJento]

Glasses or longer arms.....

[@perceivedvelocity9914]

I love Red Dwarf. "The mysterious cat ruins" sound like something from that show.

[@Taistelukalkkuna]

Left by meowlithic temple builders.

[@sarahcarter798]

Hi, there's a chap called Anton Mifsud who co wrote a book with his son called 'Dossier Malta' It deals with various aspects of the history of the temples, in particular the hypogeium. The first third of the book deals with the geology of Malta and Islands I would highly recommend it. It's available as a pdf free online. The book itself I have only seen in Gozo/Malta. For anyone interested it us a fascinating read and very scholarly. Many thanks for covering this and I find your idea intriguing 😊

[@Chuck8541]

Do you have a link to it?

[@theeddorian]

One simple thing to do is to map and measure the inclination of the cart tracks. Also, to test the likelyhood that the ruts are from wheels, measure the depth vs, width vs. curvature. A wheel in a narrow, deep rut would wear the sides of the rut at the turns, widening it, but would cause less wear to the sides on straight runs. Water conduits have to carry water from somewhere, and to somewhere. That means there should always be water collection systems up-grade that direct runoff into channels, and there should also be cisterns at the termini of the channels, and "taps" along the route to withdraw water for use. One objection to the water channel idea is that the ruts are very narrow. Another potential problem would be that steeper grades would spill water as the stream accelerated under the effect of gravity.

[@marioagius4450]

Can you please tell us why you need two parallel ruts for water? ,1 is enough . Can one find reservoirs in the vicinity ?how can you explain that more than 70 years ago people in Bahrija (Malta) still use curt ruts with their mules an donkeys ?some of them near Dingli (Malta ) are going out in the cliffs may be that part collapsed?You have few photos on your KZbin channel but thanks for your interest in our country 😉

[@Luke-ck6ok]

1) Malta - Guza Mifsud the miracle water of Girgenti, (2) Gozo - L-Għajn tal-Ħasselin, (3) Chapel of St. Paul the Hermit Wied il-Għasel, Malta - These are the locations where you can find fresh spring water in Malta & Gozo.

[@catman8965]

One of the properties of water that's often overlooked in the situations is how it flows. This is one of the things that experts look for when seeing a channel. If the grooves have a gradient that's too steep, the water doesn't flow properly and becomes more of a problem than a solution. The same can be true if the groove are not steep enough. The ancient city of Petra is a classic example of this. If I remember this right, the ideal slope is about 7 degrees to the horizontal.

[@johnralph2005]

The tracks that lead into the sea would have been above sea level during the neolithic. Sea levels rose as the ice retreated towards the poles, aka Doggerland, and elsewhere around the world.

[@jasoncuculo7035]

Also, the Black Sea was just formed 7,500 years ago, and the portion of the Persian Gulf closest to Kuwait and southern Iraq was above water until 6,000 years ago.

[@gaufrid1956]

That sounds reasonable, Kayleigh! I would also go along with your idea of them being Neolithic when you consider the fact that some of them are now underwater.

[@Chuck8541]

If your theory is true… Why are they transporting water under the ocean floor of the Mediterranean? You have to also consider - why do so many of the cart rugs double back, or curve towards themselves, even crossing over themselves, like the tracks of a car in snow pulling forward, then back - while turning? Know what I mean? If they’re a channel for water, or a channel to route pipes for water…the nonlinear tracks have to be explained as well. The oceans of the world were once a few hundred feet lower. Humans now - but especially ancient humans - tend to congregate by bodies of water. My state of Florida is practically at sea level. What would the shoreline of Florida, or the United States look like if the ocean was 400ft higher or lower? If it’s higher, the entire state of Florida would almost disappear. An ancient civilization that was once on the shore of this continent when it was lower, might now be a hundred miles out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. All the answers we seek, if still available, are now under water. In this case specifically, we just need to follow the cart ruts into the bodies of water they’re close to, to their ultimate destination. Maybe we’ll find an ancient cistern 1 mile, or 50 miles, from the shore of Malta.

[@floydriebe4755]

hi, Kayleigh! cool topic and, i think you have a valid hypothesis. i suppose, with time, cart ruts could erode to a depth that seems too deep for carts. but, the different widths seems strange. water channels would also eventually deepen, and they wouldn't have to be precisely the same distance apart. hopefully, some new find will shine some light on this. so, Klee, thanks for about 20 months of watching and thinking about ancient history with you😍😘 here's to many more years of your quality uploads!🤩🥰🙃

[@outhousephilosophies3992]

Your conclusion sound right and insightful, thanks for your insight, I can see you had a great trip ( good going on the sponsorship) 🙂.

[@bluebird3281]

Happy Anniversary!

[@w13rdguy]

Looks like a good place to mount rails for hauling a boat in and out of the water for repair, or to launch a new boat. ☘️

[@hansh9109]

Maybe the channels don’t lead to manmade cisterns. They could be used to prevent evaporation and or drainage to the sea. A bit of hydrologist would like to raise the groundwater level. Besides cracks (limestone) the extra drains would help lead the water to the subsurface. There it would form a longterm watersupply. This could be harvested via caves or underwater rivers (Limestone).

[@shiijin]

Your guess is as good as any of the others. I would say though that the reason for the "cart tracks" being in the Mediterranean sea is because they were made while it was still dry land. The seas started rising about 14,000 years ago. If anything it would prove that the people that made the track were there before the Neolithic age.

[@denisefalzon8446]

The first human beings arrived from Sicily around 7700 years ago. Malta has remained above water level since around 10000 years BCE.

[@ajkaajka2512]

thanks Kayleigh, interesting video and hypothesis. Just few thoughts: Why not to have just one channel for water? why to dig two that are usualy 1.5m apart? Why lead water over the cliff? Are there any collecting cisterns at the end of those ruts? Some of the ruts criss cross each other...That would be complicating the water managment.. There is that one place Clapham Junction, there are so many of them next to each other and over each other.. it's close to modern day quarry. Maybe it was a quarry before and they used the ruts somehow for that? The climat before was surely diffrent, more humid, all those years ago. There could be rivers and spings that dried out. A good thought provoking video 👍

[@scottclay4253]

Congratulations on 3,000,000 total views!

[@MegalithHunter]

Great video! It's a mystery I love and I spend a lot of time hopping around the countryside looking for more of these.

[@m1k3droid]

Loved your singing earlier today. You should have a performance channel.

[@deanfenech]

Love these videos, especially the ones about Malta!! Keep em coming!! I might be biased as I am Maltese and have written and drawn a number of historical comic books about Malta's history (Prehistory being one issue... also could have been found in some Malta heritage sites that you actually visited :D) Overall, love your stuff.

[@Kenshiroit]

Weare just tourists but you have first hand experience by actually living there. Whats your idea about them?

[@CheefSmokealot64]

Over time rut tracks may have been used for water collection. The tracks would have to lead into collection cisterns. Did you see any cisterns connected to the rut tracks or to their end?

[@mattmatt5956]

Great show kailey! There are 'cart tracks' here in Portugal in the hills I have not seen them myself yet , when I do I want to survey them ie:width depth direction etc. I will keep your theory in mind and let you know how I get on thanks again keep up the good work!

[@pavelow235]

Really cool Kayleigh.

[@delgardner1753]

Upon consideration I have to agree, i am not sure anyone else has ever put this idea forward yet, however after mulling it over it makes sense to me.

[@socratesDude]

How deep are these ruts in the sea? Couldn't their relative age be determined by how low the sea levels were when they were made? The sea levels were hundreds of feet lower just 12,000 years ago. Whatever they are or were used for may be more difficult to pin down than the age or time period they had to have been created in.

[@hansh9109]

I agree. The ruts being below sea level makes them ould. This predates them being Bronze Age. Therefor not RUTS.

[@MrJento]

Happy two years! Now to your hypothesis. There are numerous examples of irrigation ditches. I have seen the ruts on Malta. I have seen the ditches atop the mesas in SW Colorado made by the cliff dwellers. I’ve also seen the ruts on the old “ Oregon trail”. Let’s establish some facts. 1. Mud can turn to stone in as little as 2000 years, but usually takes longer. Recall your video about the White sands tracks. 24,000 years old. Once mud. Now stone. 2. Logically there is no reason to dig or cut two parallel water channels three feet apart, when a single wider channel will suffice. 3. In Palaeolithic times sea level was about 300 feet lower than today. Those ruts do extend right off shore into the littoral zone today. 4. Water collection and distribution is universal in dry areas and dry times. Ask any Texas Ranger. They will tell you tales of drinking water from horse tracks and wagon ruts. You’d be surprised what you’ll drink when your thirsty. So. Your hypothesis is good. In that those tracks date back to Palaeolithic times. Back to a time when the stone they are in now was mud that could be worked. Call it 20,000 years for discussion. Is that not about the period that the stone works were made? I lean to some form of cart or sledge with runners. Parallel groves with constant gauge indicate this. That they carried water at some later point is secondary. It’s been suggested that erectus built rafts or boats as early as 600,000 years ago. As a way to explain migrations otherwise unexplainable without sea transport. Similar speculation exists for Neanderthal and sapiens. If you can build a raft, you can build a sledge to pull things about. So you don’t really require an advanced civilization as many envision such to have a boat, a cart or sledge. Simply those who we know were there being a bit smarter than we give them credit for being. And a long long time ago at that. So long ago that only the megalithic stones, ruts, stone tools and bones remain to tell a tale. Then there is the Duck test. Simply, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck. Those cart tracks pass the duck test. Formal archeology got “stung” early on jumping to conclusions not supported by fact. Every building was a “temple” or a “tomb”. Recently we have seen this assumption over turned. Then there was piltdown man. So. Archeology is really fixated on facts. To the point that inductive logic is avoided like the plague. Thus we see current heated debates. Homo erectus the sailor man for example. No boat. No charts. No oars. Nothing as evidence. Except that they travelled widely and across open oceans too wide to swim. Maybe they flew? Well reasoned theory, be it a boat or cart tracks, with no physical supporting evidence is an exercise in logic. These ideas stand to help us think outside the box. To perhaps recognise some artefact for what it really is when it’s found. So. Congratulations on a sponsor today! On your two year anniversary. May there be many more . On your owl tattoo, glad you like it . And on your leap to a theory beyond what is accepted . Fox, as always, out.

[@gitmoholliday5764]

in case of sleds it would be a completely different track in the corners / bends right ? a wheel only has a few centimeters contact with the road and can easily pivot within that range, a sled depending on the length, needs atleast 30% more space to manoeuvre itself around a corner 🤔

[@MrJento]

@@gitmoholliday5764 Thats situational. I have farm land here in Tennessee. Once tilled, with stone walls on the field boundaries. I have groves on the hill sides, groves in the bottom land, even grooves in the limestone creek bed. I had no clue why for years. Then I got curious and did some reading. The hillsides were plowed with a device called a hill side plow. A mechanical gizmo with a plow share that could be shifted to right or left, even reversed, in order to plow across a hill side parallel to the contours to minimise erosion. The creek beds were once used as the road and everything from heavy wagons to foot traffic used them. The old saying “I’ll be there god willing and the creek don’t rise” makes sense if your road is also the creek. The deep ruts in the bottoms finally came to light. In the woods. On a hillside I found an older hill side plow. Long rusted no wood left. A good size tree growing up through the frame. And next to it a sledge, a small nearly square platform with runners. Or what was left of it. Rotten wood snd iron straps. It was used I am told to move the plow, and to drag off stones turned up in the field by the plow to the stone fences that surround the field. Visions of back breaking labor. They turn, but not sharply. Being in hard clay, but eroded it’s impossible to say exactly what happened in the curves, but apparently not that much as the tracks appear consistent in gauge. Fox out.

[@gitmoholliday5764]

@@MrJento of you look carefully to the thumbnail of this video you will see at the LEFT side of both tracks some 45° wear and tear just at the beginning of the curve untill the end, quite consistent with what to expect if a wheel would torque itself though a cart rut.. I thought that was quite an interesting observation, like there was some flexibility build into the wheels but just not enough to avoid the wheel rim trying to go upwards in the groove.

[@gitmoholliday5764]

@@MrJento I did find some very interesting video explaining Clapham junction kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2ipnIl6bcppgck

[@MrJento]

@@gitmoholliday5764 Your eyes are better than mine. And it’s been almost fifty years since I went to Malta. I just went and looked at some pix of the cart ruts on google. There is a great variability in the ruts. My initial impression years ago and now is that they are not something that was worn into the rock. Rather they were made in soft clay or mud that eventually hardened into soft rock. That makes them old. Very old. And there were pick marks between the ruts as you would expect to see from feet pulling the “cart”. Again about as deep as the ruts suggesting mud rather than stone. But the weathering is excessive, and as Kayleigh notes some have become small channels for rain water, by accident or design. This has eroded sections on steep hill sides differently than portions on relatively flat ground. But if you see something subtle in that thumbnail then more power to you. I’m not saying it’s not there, I just can’t see it with my cell phone screen. TTFN, Fox out.

[@TheGoldeyFamily]

I agree 100% with your hypothesis. Great content 👌

[@krakendragonslayer1909]

Dear Kayleigh, those cart ruts in soft calcium rock are effect of centuries long usage of this paths by carts with steel-reinforced wheels, if they ever transported water it was a side effect, not their original purpouse. Same ruts are also for example on "lawns" of Roman theatres.

[@gitmoholliday5764]

There are cart ruts at Roman marble mines also and of course the cart ruts leaving with marble were deeper.. that way they also could figure out ancient Romans used to drive at the left side of the road. ( atleast when the Carrabineri was in the neighborhood and not DUI )

[@MartijnHover]

I understand that steel was only invented around 400 BCE, and these "cart ruts" seem to be older than that.

[@krakendragonslayer1909]

@@MartijnHover Then it must have been another hard metal like forged iron or bronze

[@MrJento]

Very early wheeled vehicles, chariots and carts had wooden wheels without the iron tire we think of today. Some were bare and some bound by horn, leather or green saplings. Many of the Roman roads that display worn cart ruts were made by wooden wheels. They wore out, then got replaced.

[@lambastepirate]

We have the same thing on the Oregon trail and it was done in a short time so over a longer period of time wooden wheeled carts could do so. The only way to date them I think would be to figure out when the cart ruts where submerged it would be the closest a date you could get.

[@tkgsingsct]

Fascinating, I didn't know the geographical facts about Malta's lack of lakes or waterways. I wondered if there were fresh water springs anywhere on the island, and Google says no, groundwater is the only natural exploitable water source. Awesome channel, thank you for your passion for these topics!

[@marcv2648]

I like your theory. I think think you need to develop it more. The next step is to come up with secondary features that support it. There are lots of ways you can do this by asking the right questions. For example: Do some of the ruts converge in areas where water could be easily collected? I’m sure you can come up with lots of secondary questions that might support or go against your hypothesis. Also, just because some ideas don’t work doesn’t mean that some others might not. Anyway, I thought I would suggest this way of thinking to test your hypothesis further. You already did this to some extent by noting the lack of rivers and streams. Now just push the process further with more hypotheticals.

[@kiriltzenev5955]

If water, why double ? Why parallel ? Hint - Rock tracks are as good for transporting heavy weights as steel tracks.

[@jimhamman2335]

Love your hypothesis, Kayleigh! Here's a thought: Maybe not "carts" in a traditional design, but certainly vehicles made for transporting. No water and little food on the islands? Ship it from other islands or the mainland using boats. This is why the tracks go into the sea; in order to pick up the supplies at the ancient sea level (~200 feet below current sea level), bring it inland, and distribute the supplies to each of the important locations throughout the island.

[@redondoboy77]

There were similar cart tracks on Corinth leading from the gulf of Corinth to the He llespont. Before the canal was dug, transportation workers hauled ships from one sea and loaded them onto carts and rolled them to the other shore. It carved deep ruts into the stone.

[@Atreidez]

Was hoping you would do one on this subject :) Great! Will have to watch it later though, I'm out tonight..

[@jasong5913]

The ruts were made to transport precious sea water converted to potable water over the rugged limestone. Yes, in winter, Malta has plenty of rain water which can be stored in dug out wells. But the summer of Malta is so long and arid that much of that rain water doesn't last through the summer. Thus, sea water would have to be converted to potable water in the summer. One would not want that water to be spilt while transporting it over the rugged terrain. Thus, the ruts were dug in order make transport more stable.

[@herbertfawcett7213]

My problem is, why in pairs? and do they go to possible cisterns?

[@Rastafarai805]

Yes! Thank you so much for this video, it is one of my favorite topics. We have a few sets in Southern California up in the Santa Ynez Mountains of Santa Barbara. Ours are definitely not real cart rugs either and also appear to have been utilized to collect water and divert it to known ponds. The cart ruts do not appear to be made in “natural limestone” but a sort of geopolyner. Most of the ruts are adjacent to ancient quarries and cavern sites. I think the volcanos drove people away around 2200. So maybe Acid rain likely destroyed the topsoil and poisoned their water supplies…

[@yeoldfart8762]

PS. I think the interesting thing with cart ruts is it shows folks communicating ideas and crafts over wide distances. The ruts in Malta look just like the ruts in the Azores.

[@anyoneofus9948]

My guess is these were made millions of years ago by a very large animal that used tools, Possibly an octopus. The ruts were probably made to churn up the bottom to draw in prey, it's like chumming.

[@neegee82]

I'm from Malta and find your theory re: transporting water interesting and quite plausible... however flawed, & I explain you why: 1) These cart ruts originate from anytime (ca 6000-2000BC) - you are right that they were probably during the same era the Neolithic temples were built. Malta back then had a total population of a couple of hundred inhabitants, with an abundance of fresh water sources. (yes, before Malta turned into a concrete jungle it had several streams/rivers flowing through its many valleys) and still has numerous fresh water springs. For water transportation Maltese used Aqueducts (which were introduced at a much later stage :Phoenicians - Roman era) 2) ALL cart ruts we have come in PAIRS, and are consistently PARALLEL leading to nowhere (thats the big mystery). Many cart ruts sites are however suspiciously close to various neolithic temples and other megalithic structures. 3)There are various "junctions" where you evidently see these parallel "tracks" diverge, or merge, which look surprisingly similar to railway junctions. Besides, these junctions would be super inefficient for diverting water since they would need to re-route the water course by sealing either tracks. Doesnt make sense. 4) Last but not least, Maltese farmers upto a few decades ago, still dug SINGLE channels into limestones and rocks to transport water, and you'll find such channels along many fields, some also pretty ancient. But note - these wouldnt be in pairs and parallel! Nevertheless, I cannot prove you with a better theory, and I accept your hypothesis as a plausible one. Great contents.

[@neegee82]

@_____ You are right regarding the erosion, that the cartruts were probably less deep, however we dont get much acid rain over here. Actually i have a small fish pond, and collect rain water regulary which i test, and 80% of our rain, is dusty sahara rain, and the average pH we get here is 7.5-9.5 definetly no acid rain.

[@PopsBarnCatMafia]

IT'S SIMPLE... Prehistoric Rail Road tracks... and then of course there is the prehistoric snowmobiles now that you mention the ancient aliens. lol 🐂🤠🐂

[@Kenshiroit]

About transportation, I like to point out, it doesnt need to be wheeled vehicles, it could be dragged carriers dragging supplies and stone for construction from ships and quarries to their destination. The tracks are made due to friction. The irregular direction of these tracks can also be due to the political division on the island. Take the easter island for example, it was in the past divided and often at war with each other. Similar thing could be on this island. The submerged tracks is because in the neolithic/mesolithic the water level was much lower.

[@TheObSeRvErTheObSeRv]

Hi Kayleigh. I think you are right. Those are water channels. And yes water has been found STORED in under ground limestone tanks.!!! And 1+1 = 3.!

[@hansh9109]

Is it possible that the cartruts being below sealevel can be explained by their age. Namely when sealevel were lower about 8000 years ago?

[@rolsen1304]

The real question then is what do you find if you follow the ruts into the sea to the very end?

[@hansh9109]

When sealevels were lower the cartruts probable never reached the sea?

[@paulsilverzweig2429]

Questions K: do the depth of the ruts seem to help make the pitch of the rut cause water to flow down hill? Where do they go? To pits or cisterns of some sort? Surface or subterranean…? If they transport water, would they lead to storage basins of some sort? I haven’t seen them, and have not researched these in any manner, but thought these questions might help to reveal purpose… Sounds like a legit hypothesis to me…

[@HypnoticChronic1]

Curious I did see a few of them when I visited Malta in my childhood but did not think much of them at the time. I do have a few ideas as to why they exist and why some seem to exist in abnormal places. First and foremost let us get the obvious one out of the way, they are indeed cart ruts and widely varying nature is due to non standard cart dimensions, higher concentrated rainfall and or pooling in certain areas causing higher levels of erosion from one rut to another after they fell out of use. Second on the list, they are indeed water channels used for attempted small scale agriculture or water diversion from populated centers (hence why we see some going out to sea). Third on the list and this is where we start to go a bit out there, they are cart ruts used in the aforementioned ways however, either the sea itself caused heavy erosion to the greater islands causing parts of it to subside into the sea and why now some are currently submerged or the sea level was lower at the time of their use namely the Younger Dryas and fell into disuse after the Holocene epoch, this would be in a similar vein to what Randall Carlson has proposed in his works. Do keep in mind these ideas are merely coming from my vague recollection of them during my time in Malta in the 90's and from the images in the video along with ones I've looked on google for, I would like to go back and see them again first hand to refresh my memory and get a better grasp of their scope, even if I'm completely wrong in my ideas it was a interesting hypothesis to ponder on and explore nonetheless.

[@captaindavejseddon8788]

I agree that they have been worn deeper by water erosion. I don't think they are wheeled cart ruts, but more of a sledge channel that was filled with fish oils to create a lubricated track to move cargo and boats. They can also be found on the islands in the altantic ocean along side stone anchors. They run into the sea at depths due to land submission and also sea level rise. If you are still looking for Atlantis then you will find it at the eye of Africa. Love your videos.

[@gary6549]

Something similar on the Burren Clare Ireland

[@fredmanicke5078]

An ancient industry on Malta was/is quarrying limestone for building materials. It is efficient to dress blocks for building stone before shipping. The area of ruts are areas where masons dressed blocks and the chips, sand and dust from the process is left in place--that is industrial waste. Carts transported blocks to ships, and barges. The waste limestone powders/chips exposed to elements eventually turns into concretion and hardens into solid stone. I have seen all sorts of theories but never the one I propose. How many of the ancient buildings within shipping distance has used Malta stone?

[@lobotiggre6432]

Kayleigh, you mention all the differences between the ruts, but it occurs to me that there's a key question: are they of uniform separation? If the distance between the ruts is constant, that would fit with axles keeping wheels a set distance apart, carving ruts at that distance. (I'm not an archeologist nor a civil engineer, but I can't think of any reason why ancients would carve 2 water channels when 1 would do, or, if they did, why they would go to the trouble of carving them a precise distance apart.)

[@indricotherium4802]

Thinking of the ruts as parallel grooves or notches, they would help keep something heavy or unwieldy you were rolling or pulling on line. Maybe it was a system for pulling boats that had been constructed in inland wooded locations to open water (speculative!).

[@grahamturner1290]

Intriguing! 🤔

[@Faelani38]

I went and looked up a vid of the ruts and I agree with you. The way they are placed and it would be an excellent way to get fresh water.

[@paul6925]

Yay I’m glad you did this one! I like your theory but I wonder if they might have started as one thing (cart tracks) and ended up being appropriated for another (irrigation/water collection). Why are they all parallel/double lines? Did you see any single ruts when you were there?

[@Unkl_Bob]

Double parallel lines ?? Why its for HOT and COLD of course, silly.

[@paul6925]

@@Unkl_Bob Of course! Silly me

[@jessedelcastillo2248]

Many times researchers talk about anomalies but failed to realize that the sea level was different in different periods of the world so if we take that in consideration maybe these cart roads lead somewhere just a thought

[@jessedelcastillo2248]

Correction cart ruts

[@StereoSpace]

The photos of the ceramic plumbing in Chinese stone ruts/channels was fascinating. I've never seen that before. In the same way that bow and arrow and spear crafts, pottery, weaving, all sorts of technologies spread across the world, I can easily envision plumbing technology spreading.

[@msaaadi]

You’re explanation are very interesting and intelligent… i love it…

[@kristoffernordlund8392]

Its possible. Do they lead to some sorta of pond or well? If that where found your theory is highly likely. or that they are dug out at a low point of the of the horizontal surface, so it gather water from surroundings as well. Cause just the "trail" wouldent be able to store much water it self. Its interesting though, and sounds more plausible then aliens and cart ruts.

[@davidhunden120]

Kayleigh, glad to see you are challenging the current notions. In looking at the ruts, some very deep and narrow and other ruts a bit shallower and wider, I'm not convinced they are from wheels or even dragging poles as the American Indians used. But, I have to wonder why there are TWO parallel grooves if not for wheels or something of that sort? Why would they need two parallel grooves a certain distance apart to be used to transport running water...why not 3, or 5, or more? I'm not convinced of the carts, but I'm also skeptical of the water channel hypothesis...at least until some further evidence. Hmmm... now if they packed the grooves with long parallel fibrous material, water could possibly flow in certain directions through capillary action. And, if the fiber filled channels were covered during that time to prevent evaporation, they might have created a natural method of conveyance to get water to move to a collection point and drip, or run out the end. It's a long shot. But, I still wonder why TWO ruts or grooves?

[@freefall9832]

Fill them with wooden rails

[@jimhamman2335]

Ruts were made by carts with flexible axles that would transport fresh water around the island to the various communities and temples.. The fresh water would come in amphoras (jugs) to the island from the mainland, being transported by boat. This is why some ruts go deep into the sea, to places where boats were docked when sea levels were lower.

[@coffeeabernethy2823]

It's an interesting hypothesis. Should be pretty easy to test, just observe on a rainy day if the water runs through the cart ruts and collects in or near areas that were known to be inhabited during the Neolithic era.

[@zweispurmopped]

Sounds conclusive! Looking at the pictures of ruts, I see structures that potentially suggest they were washed out by water. Seeing how many of them are next to each others here and there, I also wonder if the people who made them put cut down vegetation over some of them to rot so they got soil to plant in.

[@indricotherium4802]

Looking at the photo again at 6:16, whether water channels or not, one has to ask whether the people at the time had the hardened tool technology necessary to chip out hard rock to a depth that looks roughly the length of a human forearm. If not, it could be these are the lines of narrow deposits of limestone with a property that made it much easier to cut out and work? What now look like tracks might simply be the results of quarrying out rock they wanted for buildings, walls, etc. This would also help explain the randomness and variability across the island - they simply chipped out the stone where it was easiest to do so. Perhaps by some natural process of contraction or by weather erosion, the continuous lines had been exposed and had already visibly started to separate or crack away from the surrounding layers of harder rock. Only after the works were completed and abandoned, as a side effect so to speak, did they end up with features that looked like roadways and could be used as them. These grooves do not look right to me for the channelling of water. Surely centuries - or millenia - would have shaped and eroded them to give them a very different profile from that of the original cut. Obviously the quarrying proposition falls a bit flat if there is evidence on the island for other and perhaps easier early quarrying sites.

[@johnirby8847]

I have to say...with you and Megalithhunter...I've become way more interested in Malta. Awesome video!

[@HistoryWithKayleigh]

Awesome!

[@yeoldfart8762]

Old problem. Absence of proof is not proof of absence. One thing you need is whether the ruts run continuously down hill. There needs to be collection ponds. If the ruts flow off a cliff to the sea might mean people lived there when the sea level was noticeably lower as in the ice age to flow to settlements down below…. Or maybe a time when rainfall was higher and they were for drainage. You raise more questions than answers which is good.

[@peteraschubert]

No, no bloopers - don't need bloopers - much prefer to hear your hypotheses, comments and opinions. While your refusal to 'big-note' yourself is refreshingly non-American, you shouldn't dis-value the contribution you are making to advance knowledge and understanding to your viewers. You are making a difference and it is appreciated.

[@ossory9015]

Sounds reasonable 🤔.

[@johnwolfen4243]

Okay I have some questions because I have never been to Malta. 1) Is there a collection point for the water run off? 2) Limestone is very porous, will water run through it or would it run into the stone? I'm not saying the ruts are for carts I just don't know. I can say they were not for little gray men.

[@commonsense-og1gz]

if the ruts are under sea water, then it indicates that the sea level was lower. i suggest that they would have been made during a cooling era. depending on how deep they go, it could go all the way back to the younger dryas.

[@gregorykrajeski6255]

My question is why they come in pairs. Wouldn't a single channel work just as well?

[@phoule76]

Your theory holds water. Also, I once dated a stone. It was a lot of work, believe me.

[@TobiasC-mg4zk]

Keith Orr Mick?

[@MrBobVick]

Have been to Malta but seem to recall similar tracks in the Balearic Islands too, think your idea is a good one, as even Roman Chariots did not leave deep tracks in stone roads.

[@rexkars7867]

Great subject!

[@haileybalmer9722]

I'm not 100% convinced, but I'm intrigued to hear more. I know that I have thought for a while that they don't seem like cart tracks. Vehicle tracks are wider, because not every wheel follows the same path every time. You see it on our roadways now, but you also see that in the tracks from the Americas you showed an example of. These tracks in Malta seem to be intentionally cut.

[@guyfromnj]

Maybe the cart ruts have something to do with how the Neolithic temple builders transported the stone for temples too possibly. The only reason I have trouble with the water theory is that the ruts are almost random at times. They have interesting paths and what looks to almost be detrimental to water transport at times. Sometimes there are ruts on top of ruts. Or ruts that just fade away. I’ve only seen pictures so idk. If they were more uniform and consistent I think you would be correct for sure. My questions to your theory would be how did they easily get the water from the rut? They are most times too narrow to scoop the water with a pot of some kind. You could fit a modern cup possibly. Why would they make them so thin at times if people needed to get the water from them. They seem inconvenient for gathering water. When you were there did you see any ruts that travel continuously from one point to another? Like from a higher point to what may be known as a ancient temple or village? In the pics I’ve seen they can be uniform but then can be totally random too. That’s the only thing that really makes me wonder. In some of the pics it looks like what I would think a muddy old western town Main Street would look like from all the carriages intersecting and then other pics it’s 2 ruts running sorta parallel the way a cart rut would look. When they are uniform like that the water thing makes sense aside from the narrowness and getting the water out into a pot. Love your channel.

[@nicksavage4763]

THANKS, a lot to consider. Wonder where all the pipes went. DID THEY RUN UPHILL TOO? Were you able to trace a really long set From source to a collection point?

[@peteybpb]

Visited Ephesus years ago. Cart ruts there too

[@RobertERensch]

Possibly, they dated the ruts to accommodate having the presumed carts. Your presentation is always fun. Y’know, to not die… ✌️

[@Kenshiroit]

I agree, they could just have used sledges instead, Neolithic more or less is a good guess.