What are cart-ruts?

Cart-ruts are a little-understood prehistoric landscape feature found in several Mediterranean countries (plus a similar feature in Bolivia). Their origin, form and function is still largely undetermined and an international research incentive is currently in progress to determine their nature. Featured Items:

Were ruts made by carts?

While there is little doubt then, that some ruts were produced by carts, this is not automatically true of all ruts. There is also a distinction between the French ruts at Anse de St. Croix, which were made on sand, and the several examples of cart-ruts running in stone.

Where are the world’s cart-ruts?

Malta – The island of Malta is home to the highest concentration of Cart-rut’s in the world. They are dated to at least the latter centuries BC. (1)On Malta, the Cart-ruts are traditionally associated with prehistoric quarrying, although there are several objections to this theory as an absolute.

What is a Portuguese cart-rut?

Portugal – ‘Strada’s Real’ – The Portuguese Cart-rutsare also known as ‘Strada’s Real’ or ‘Royal streets’, and have been associated with pilgrimage in tradition. Some of the ruts are said to have been used until recent times, although bronze-age markings appear alongside them, suggesting a continuous usage of over 2000 years.