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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 😊

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 =)

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...

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 .

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?

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.

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.

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 👍👍

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

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. ☘️

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

If your hypothesis is correct, and you know exactly what type of limestone these ruts exist in, you should be able to use Robert Schoch's approach to erosion to determine the age of the rut, and if you can get climate reports dating back before the Bronze Age, you should be able to demonstrate who made these ruts.

they are to neat to be cart ruts, friction would make the bends / corners wider.. it could be used to avoid damage to ROPES encircling / tied to the stones or they could be used to transport & tumble huge blocks of stone by placing wooden levers under them. Anyway everything points at some industrial / repetitive use.

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!🤩🥰🙃

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.

I love when Kayleigh goes full nerd humor!

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.

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.

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.

It sounds like an interesting theory. The question is, do they lead somewhere significant? Also, are there always two ruts going parallelly? At a constant distance between the two? If so, why? I am neither saying they weren't water channels, nor that they were cart ruts. I know way too little about this. But those questions arose as I was evaluating the theory.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

If the cart ruts are actually meant to transport water. Say after heavy rains then they should end at cisterns. Plus the cart ruts should have a gradual reduction in elevation from their start point to any cistern. If the cart ruts were actually the result of cart wheels then are the ruts a consistent distance apart from each other. Malta has been inhabited for a long time.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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?

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.

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 👍🏼

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.

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?

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.

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.

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?

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

Hmm. I'd be okay with this theory if there was evidence some sort of pools dug into a low spot along the ruts to collect the water and make it easier for the people to get it. If I recall, limestone is very non-porous, so it would be an ideal 'container' to hold water in for extended periods of time. I would be more worried about evaporation though. It would be easy to cover the ruts with planks or logs to prevent that though, and there'd be little if any evidence of wood being used in that way if it is as old as you think it is. Hmm... good video. Makes ya think, lol. I'm a little sad that there weren't any bloopers, but that just means you're getting better, right? ;)

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.

Not sure about the idea that the tracks were made to carry water. The island(s) was FIRST used by farmers who did not know land technology and eventually ruined the soil. They were also among the earliest temple builders with the first temples being built 5500 BC or before. The tracks sometimes crisscross and run in the direction of the temple sites and yes over a cliff and into and under current water levels. Having lived in Kentucky and Tennessee, I am very familiar with what happens to limestone in the presence of water. Once you get a rut in the limestone the water itself will erode the limestone even further. It is my understanding that the early farmers relocated soil from place to place using large "sledges" or possibly wheeled vehicles. Most of these tracks are 140 centimeters wide but inconsistent in depth.They also used similar sledges to move rock to build the temples. If they used sledges, they may well have poured water on the tracks to help move the load - just like the Egyptians did to built the Pyramids. Finally, the farmers had so little sense about soil use that they didn't irrigate the soil properly and it wore out. If they use those ruts for irrigation, they didn't do a very good job of it.

Do the ruts lead to any reservoirs or places where food would have been grown?

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.

A crucial point though is that ghese ruts continue into the sea and for some distance, not just beach level. So we need to know timelines of sea levels from a geologist; I do know that during the last Ice Age sea level was 300-400 feet lower. So I think we have to consider that these ruts may be Ice Age and therefore pre-Neolithic

Question! Do the ruts lead to any cistern?

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

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.

It's a reasonable hypothesis, I like it. And let's face it, all hypothesis are flawed until proven correct.

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.

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.

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.

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

We also have these in the south of France in a place called the Luberon. they are in the bed rock and also there is allot of other carved basin and channel type things carved to into bed rock near water sources and also on higher ground to. the general feeling here is that they date back to the Greek founders of Massalia and before 600bc from the people living here that the Greeks traded with. super interesting and intriguing features to still have around today 🙏

What if they were used as an evaporative system to collect the salt from the sea being that the tracks are lower and the middle is higher it might have created a dual purpose to get salt and allow the fresh water to flow off of it. Although that idea has holes in it too maybe like swiss cheese but it's an idea. But if you look at modern survival techniques for getting fresh water from salt water they usually use a process of solar distilling and maybe it's a combination of catching rainwater and being able to solar they still salt water 🤷. I don't know but I think you are on the right track. You're doing a great job and don't under play yourself you are very intelligent woman.

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.

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

so, just because I did not hear it mentioned: is there a constant grade up and down to the ruts? if it is for gravity flow, that would be the one thing I can think of that would possibly eliminate that as a possibility

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

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!

Sailors/Pirates used to populate islands with hogs and other animals if they were forming routes their ships were going to start taking, maybe these "cart ruts" were made by ancient sailors to make rainwater drainage to water cisterns to hold fresh rainwater for ships that stopped by to fill up on supplies.

could they have bee used to crush grain with a big stone wheel? or maybe two with an axel and an oxen going back amd forth?

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.

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?

The cart ruts that go into the water look very similar to those found in Cornwall and probably Devon, though not as old these were used to unload boats and in a similar way to how you load a boat onto a trailer today by reversing it into the water. The water level in the Med has risen in the last 3000 years, so that would account for why they go so far under the water. The cliffs have probably fallen into the sea. The same reasoning you use as to why would the ruts go over a cliff can be used for why did they want water to go over a cliff? The other ruts, well, they're just bicycle ruts made by Dutch tourists in the mud (joking of course). They may or may not be for water, your guess is as good as any other.

So how would they accumulate enough water to transport? Would they do the little holes/ pits in the limestone to gather enough or would it just be like a little bit at a time? Ancient Architechs has done a couple videos about water collection for a couple different sites. Interested to see what you can come up with.

They are clearly the ruts of hellofresh delivery drivers.

How do you explain the cartruts allways being in pairs?

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.

wouldn't them being parallel's make them inefficient for collecting water?like wouldnt spread out be better? do they have a random directionality or do they encircle high terrain? or end in depressions?

What are some of the other hypotheses on the formation of the ruts? What are some of their strengths and weaknesses? I assume that one of the hypotheses is that they were made by carts. I have nothing against your idea, but a few thoughts come to mind. First, the ruts being too deep to serve any kind of cart may not mean much. Many of the ruts here in the western USA were made in sandstone or granite in environments that don't get much rain. They are also less than two hundred years old. Ruts in limestone would be much more subject to erosion. Does Malta get a great deal of rain? If so, the rain could be running through these ruts causing erosion. Limestone is softer and more prone to pure erosion. Limestone is also more prone to dissolution by acids. I don't believe the whole carbon dioxide scare of the modern environmentalists. I do realize that we've had periods of more and less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over the millennia. During the periods of higher carbon dioxide, there would be more carbonic acid in rainwater. What began as simple cart ruts could have grown and deepened into channels through this action. Secondly, do the ruts move outward from central points? If one could identify places that were clearly meant for water storage and the ruts seemed to originate from these places, then your hypothesis would make even more sense. I assume that the early civilizations on Malta had to store water in various natural and man-made cisterns in order to survive. A water distribution system would need to originate from these points in order to be effective. Does Malta have any fresh water springs or is stored or pooled rain water the only source of water on Malta? I'm not sure how this issue would tie directly to your hypothesis, but I think the point would be important. Does Malta have caves? Do the caves serve as a reservoir of fresh water? Again, I can't immediately tie this idea to your hypothesis, but I think knowing everything possible about water on Malta would be important. Another odd thought is that maybe these were not for transporting fresh water but served as a sewage system.

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

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 KZfaq channel but thanks for your interest in our country 😉

Do the ruts align with local ley lines?

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…

Whether you are correct or not (I agree that the ruts may have been used for water, or possibly sewage) please do not disparage yourself. I highly doubt that we (the species) will ever fully explain all of the mysteries of our past. What we should continue to do is question and debate the differing views and in truth be open to changing our understanding as new information is uncovered.

Very interesting presentation! Do the ruts always appear in pairs, meaning two in parallel to each other? That might lead to an answer. Maybe the number 2 had some sacred or spiritual meaning to them too, or since they were carving one channel it was somehow less time consuming than carving one. Where do they all lead to? I could see why for water supply if there are still underground cisterns, unless they had some other means of containing the water.

Hey K, good idea! I have aquestion : why aren't there kinda of reservoirs at the end or somewhere around those ruts? Cheers

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

I heard the theory that the ruts are a water runoff collection and irrigation system for agriculture.

Where would the water have been coming from and going to? And were their basins created to hold the water that was moved?

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.

Very few singers pull off this kind of traditional singing without instruments, but I feel this voice contained both the song and the melody in such a beautiful way.. Does anyone know if the singing will be available anywhere after the video publication?

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