Wheel Ruts in Malta Analyzed

Archaeology Magazine ^ | October 22, 2026 | editors / unattributed

[SunkenCiv]

Analysis of deep grooves in the bedrock on the islands of the Maltese archipelago suggests that they are ruts made by the wheels of carts over thousands of years, Gizmodo reports. It had been suggested that the tracks dated to between 5200 and 750 B.C. and were related to quarrying activity. Joel Grima of the University of Malta said that similar cart ruts can be found in urban areas of Europe, Asia, and North America. In Malta, more than 2,600 tracks totaling more than 30 miles have been recorded. Most of the tracks are in clusters, and some of them resemble a connected railway network. Grima created digitized models of the ruts and considered other structures and formations around them. He suggests that many of the tracks can be dated from the Phoenician colonization of Malta, around 700 B.C., to the end of the Byzantine period, around A.D. 870. Grima thinks that the ruts span several cultural phases over millennia, but may not be as old as previously thought. Read the original scholarly article about this research in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. To read about a Mesopotamian artifact found on Malta, go to "Written on Agate."

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TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: godsgravesglyphs; malta

[SunkenCiv]

Wheel ruts on Malta

Joel Grima

[SunkenCiv]

[sopo]

But Amerinds didn’t have the wheel, supposedly didn’t need it with no domesticated animal to pull a wheeled vehicle.

[crusty old prospector]

They were the first Hot Wheels.

[Mean Daddy]

When I was a kid (64 now) my grandfather showed us the ruts in Schuyler Nebraska where the Oregon Trail came through.

[BenLurkin]

Groovy.

[SunkenCiv]

Nice!

Traditionally, if you’re in someone else’s wheel ruts, you’re still on the right trail.

[ApplegateRanch]

These are also quite interesting. We KNOW who made them; when they were made, over how long, and why.
OTOH, Sandstone & iron tired wheels. The track is worn to a depth of five feet according to NPS; the center had to be beaten down more than once, for axle clearance, once the ruts got so deep the wagons were scraping.

Might help give some perspective on how long the Maltese ruts took to create.

16. Oregon Trail Ruts State Historic Site
A view of the wagon wheel ruts embedded in rock at the Oregon Trail Ruts State Historic Site.
Witness the visible marks of history at the Oregon Trail Ruts State Historic Site near Guernsey. Here, you can see the deep grooves carved by the wagons of pioneers as they traveled westward. This remarkable preserved land provides a direct connection to the past and is a testament to the challenging journey undertaken by thousands. Interpretive sites and hiking trails are available to appreciate this interesting area.

Address: Approximately 3 miles west of Guernsey, Wyoming

[ApplegateRanch]

These are also quite interesting. We KNOW who made them; when they were made, over how long, and why.
OTOH, Sandstone & iron tired wheels. The track is worn to a depth of five feet according to NPS; the center had to be beaten down more than once, for axle clearance, once the ruts got so deep the wagons were scraping.

Might help give some perspective on how long the Maltese ruts took to create.

16. Oregon Trail Ruts State Historic Site
A view of the wagon wheel ruts embedded in rock at the Oregon Trail Ruts State Historic Site.
Witness the visible marks of history at the Oregon Trail Ruts State Historic Site near Guernsey. Here, you can see the deep grooves carved by the wagons of pioneers as they traveled westward. This remarkable preserved land provides a direct connection to the past and is a testament to the challenging journey undertaken by thousands. Interpretive sites and hiking trails are available to appreciate this interesting area.

Address: Approximately 3 miles west of Guernsey, Wyoming

[ApplegateRanch]

These are also quite interesting. We KNOW who made them; when they were made, over how long, and why.
OTOH, Sandstone & iron tired wheels. The track is worn to a depth of five feet according to NPS; the center had to be beaten down more than once, for axle clearance, once the ruts got so deep the wagons were scraping.

Might help give some perspective on how long the Maltese ruts took to create.

16. Oregon Trail Ruts State Historic Site
A view of the wagon wheel ruts embedded in rock at the Oregon Trail Ruts State Historic Site.
Witness the visible marks of history at the Oregon Trail Ruts State Historic Site near Guernsey. Here, you can see the deep grooves carved by the wagons of pioneers as they traveled westward. This remarkable preserved land provides a direct connection to the past and is a testament to the challenging journey undertaken by thousands. Interpretive sites and hiking trails are available to appreciate this interesting area.

Address: Approximately 3 miles west of Guernsey, Wyoming

Guernsey Oregon Trail ruts

[ApplegateRanch]

Sorry for the multiple posts; seems it glitched while editing in the second image.

[Adder]

Obviously Michelins...probably all terrain...

[Mean Daddy]

It may have been the Mormon trail