Malta is famed for its megalithic temples - believed by some to be the oldest stone building enterprise in the world - and also the "Maltese Clapham Junction" where it appears that cart ruts lead off into the ocean. Many alternative researchers believe that the ruts show that there was a civilisation nearby that is now beneath the waves.

One of the most distinguished archaeologists in the field of Maltese archaeology, David Trump, has claimed that the cart ruts are "one of the most intriguing problems in Maltese archaeology". Dr Sagona however believes the answer is less mysterious. She suggests that as torrential rain washed away up to a metre of soil from agricultural land, the farmers in the area - circa 4000 BCE - were desperate to find a way of saving their precious soil...