Malta and Lanzarote (Canary Islands, Spain) cart-ruts and rock prehistoric calendar at Zonzamas, Lanzarote -"Quesera"/Cheeseboard

Abstract

It is noticed that the abundant Malta cart-ruts fabrication by different cut shape in rocks is similar to “Quesera”/Cheeseboard Lanzarote rock prehistoric lunisolar calendar building. Even more, some Malta cart-ruts associated structures are similar to this Lanzarote rock calendar. Cart-ruts are hand made artifacts that in Malta started to be built up at Bronze Age; at present, they may be found throughout all Mediterranean area (North and South) and also in Atlantic islands, including Lanzarote, as described in this paper, British Islands and Azores. Rock calendar-like structures in Malta are associated to cart-ruts; we have analyzed those at San Gwan, Ta Cenc and San Pawl tat-Targa. It is uncertain whether they might have been used as calendars. Cart-rut purposes have been debated. Some of them may be associated to water collection, but their use to bear vehicles is not credible for many of them are constructed on steep hills, or even top of mountains, and with no sign of vehicles or living beings close to them. We put forward an astronomical /religious purpose for some of them to measure time and directions (space), like most Malta temples do have, i.e.: main door oriented to South, Summer Solstice marking and a Sun calendar throughout 12 months starting June 21st (Mnajdra and Hagar Qim temples). Search of a universal purpose for all extant cart-ruts in all areas, which are time stratified, is not a right approach for us.

Keywords: Malta, Cart-ruts, Lanzarote, Quesera/Cheeseboard, Lunisolar calendar, Iberian writing, Guanche writing, Zonzamas, Canary Islands, Guanches, Majos, Archaeoastronomy