University of Malta

E534 N733

Close to the boundary wall to the south of the University Campus, one or possibly two pairs of poorly defined ruts with a gage of 1.4m run for a short distance in a North West-South East direction.

Tat-Tarġa 2

E446 N709

This site is close to Site 36 West of Rabat. On the escarpment overlooking the Liemu valley are several pairs of ruts. The main pair, with a gauge of 1.4m, runs for some considerable distance in a general North West-South East direction. The ruts vary in depth from quite shallow to, at one point, 40cm deep. The base of the ruts is also variable being at one point being 30-35cm wide, and showing signs of overrunning. A pair of ruts diverges from the main pair as if too run down into the valley below, but soon turn and run parallel with the main pair before petering out. The main pair of ruts is often interrupted by intermittent ashlar style stone extraction. To the North, a pair of ruts with a gauge of 1.4m runs in an East West-West East direction close to a disused ashlar quarry. If these ruts, which diverge into two pairs, continued they would descend off the escarpment into the valley; they may have once been a part of ruts noted at Site 36. There are sporadic signs of poorly defined ruts not far from a modern farm complex in the North. This escarpment running North-South west of Rabat has many features of archaeological importance. It was at the Northern end of the escarpment that evidence from a number of rock-cut tombs indicated it to be one of the first areas of Phoenician/Punic settlement on Malta. Two of these tombs are on this site, one of which has been partially destroyed by ashlar style quarrying. This would indicate the probability that, not only the cart-ruts, but also the tombs predate ashlar style quarrying activity in the area which possibly took place during the early Modern period. 

Mater Dei Hospital

E528 N736

In common with site Tat-Tarġa 2, this site, in the vicinity of Mater Dei Hospital was known of, and had been looked for prior to the publication of the Book in 2010. That the sites were not located and recorded at the time was down to lack of diligence on the part of the author. I am, therefore, grateful to Mark Borda for kindly informing me of this particular site’s exact whereabouts.

The site can be seen to the side of the service road on the north side of the hospital opposite the liquid-gas tanks. There are possibly five ruts, one of which is quite broad and deep, and two pairs with a gauge of 1.4m can be discerned. All ruts run in a general East West-West East direction, but they seem to have been curtailed and broken up due, probably, to the building of the hospital.

Experiment

On the 8-11-2011, a practical experiment was put in place at two cart-rut sites, having the express purpose of ascertaining the time related rate at which stone at the base of three purposely chosen cart-ruts is, or is not, eroded by the effects of seasonal precipitation.

If, the ‘experiment’ has been correctly setup and proves durable enough, so that measurable results can be obtained over time, which, however, will be some considerable time ‒ years ‒ the hope is, however, that eventually it may prove that natural dissolution of lime stone due to the acidic nature of seasonal precipitation is fundamental in explaining the existence of the cart-ruts as they presently are.

The first report on the ‘experiment’ will appear at this place in a years’ time (8-11-2012).

Ta-Ħammud

E503 N782

This site, on rising ground overlooking Qalet Marku close to Malta’s northeast coast line, is roughly mid-way between the Salina Bay (Coastline Hotel) site and the Wied Mejxu St George’s Bay site. A pair of shallow ruts with a gauge of 1.4m, showing signs of being ‘overrun’ by another pair of ruts, run for a short distance over undulating ground in an East South East-West North West direction. Further to the East, there are scanty signs of ruts, however, what can be seen of them, indicates they are ‘historic’ ruts (ruts made by carts with metal rim wheels) having a gauge of 1.3m.