Dating

Abstract

Rock-cut features are extremely difficult to date especially if their characteristics have not yet been classified as belonging to particular phases or periods. Additionally, the dating of rock-cut features is made even more difficult by the lack of corroboration with associated datable archaeological deposits. In the dating of tombs, for instance, the various morphologies of tombs led archaeologists to classify them into types. and the archaeological artefacts found within such tombs enabled archaeologists to place the tombs first in relative chronological order, and then in an absolute time frame. On the other hand, this cannot be argued for cart-ruts since no morphological typology has yet been established, if this is ever possible. Moreover, no archaeological artefacts or ecofacts have so far been identified in association with cart-ruts, and thus, such critical indicators of chronology and culture are until now missing, rendering the dating of cart-ruts even more problematic. Thus, cart-ruts present a significant dating problem; since they are rock-cut features and their rudimentary form could, in theory, have been the work of early prehistoric activity or of any later culture, down to the relatively recent past. In addition, so far there have been very few attempts and little success in efforts to associate any other archaeological features within the landscape with cart-ruts that may indicate the dating of the features.