Oldest tartan found in peat bog 40 years ago dates back to 16th Century

[Still Waters]

A scrap of fabric found in a Highland peat bog 40 years ago is likely to be the oldest tartan ever discovered in Scotland, new tests have established.

The fabric is believed to have been created in about the 16th Century, making it more than 400 years old.

It was found in a Glen Affric peat bog, in the Highlands, in the early 1980s.

The Scottish Tartans Authority (STA) commissioned dye analysis and radiocarbon testing of the textile to prove its age.

Experts have said the tartan was more than likely worn as an "outdoor working garment" and would not have been worn by royalty.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-65081312

[jmccr8]

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/11/17/tartan-may-scream-scotland-but-traces-of-the-fabric-have-been-found-on-ancient-chinese-mummies/amp/?prebid_ab=enabled

The Falkirk piece is considered a rudimentary design, one that has both light and dark wool, and it was found crammed into a pot that contained around 2,000 Roman coins. The finding was made close to a section of the Antonine Wall, an embankment that marked the frontier of the Roman Empire with Scotland.

Much older examples of tartan fabric have been found both in the vicinity of Salzburg, Austria, and as far away as China in the Xinjiang province. According to E. J. Barber, an expert on the history of textiles, tartan was produced by ancient groups of Celtic people, possibly before their migration from Central Europe to the north (their assumed migration), which would explain the existence of some remarkably preserved pieces that were unearthed in 2004 on the site of the Hallstatt salt mines near Salzburg, believed to date from as far back as the 8th century B.C.

[Piney]

On 3/28/2023 at 2:22 PM, jmccr8 said:

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/11/17/tartan-may-scream-scotland-but-traces-of-the-fabric-have-been-found-on-ancient-chinese-mummies/amp/?prebid_ab=enabled

The Falkirk piece is considered a rudimentary design, one that has both light and dark wool, and it was found crammed into a pot that contained around 2,000 Roman coins. The finding was made close to a section of the Antonine Wall, an embankment that marked the frontier of the Roman Empire with Scotland.

Much older examples of tartan fabric have been found both in the vicinity of Salzburg, Austria, and as far away as China in the Xinjiang province. According to E. J. Barber, an expert on the history of textiles, tartan was produced by ancient groups of Celtic people, possibly before their migration from Central Europe to the north (their assumed migration), which would explain the existence of some remarkably preserved pieces that were unearthed in 2004 on the site of the Hallstatt salt mines near Salzburg, believed to date from as far back as the 8th century B.C.

Plaids probably came about before the Indo-Europeans left their homeland.

[jmccr8]

50 minutes ago, Piney said:

Plaids probably came about before the Indo-Europeans left their homeland.

Hi Piney

I did read an article a couple of decades ago that the Celts found in China suggested that they travelled that far hunting for wild horses to tame and sell in other locations. Not sure there has been any genetic testing done on horses that would validate the claim though

[Piney]

26 minutes ago, jmccr8 said:

Hi Piney

I did read an article a couple of decades ago that the Celts found in China suggested that they travelled that far hunting for wild horses to tame and sell in other locations. Not sure there has been any genetic testing done on horses that would validate the claim though

They weren't Celts and the IE migrated in both directions. They were Tocharians and what you read was Celtic Nationist crap. 

The Sarmatian Alans originated on the big bend Of the Yellow River (Yancai in Chinese) and the Eastern Iranians ruled the Central Steppe when the Mongolians and Turkic People were still forest hunters living in bark huts. The Celts wouldn't stand a chance against them.

[jmccr8]

6 minutes ago, Piney said:

They weren't Celts and the IE migrated in both directions. They were Tocharians and what you read was Celtic Nationist crap. 

The Sarmatian Alans originated on the big bend Of the Yellow River (Yancai in Chinese) and the Eastern Iranians ruled the Central Steppe when the Mongolians and Turkic People were still forest hunters living in bark huts. The Celts wouldn't stand a chance against them.

Hi Piney

Thanks for the correction as it was just something I read in a doctor’s office 20-25 years ago while waiting to get stitched up.

[Piney]

9 minutes ago, jmccr8 said:

Hi Piney

Thanks for the correction as it was just something I read in a doctor’s office 20-25 years ago while waiting to get stitched up.

The red haired green eyed people were Eastern Iranian Scythians who passed the trait to the Germans. Vikings, in turn brought the traits to Ireland. 

Celts were dark haired blue or hazel eyed and looked like @Orphalesion. 

[SHaYap]

Have read plenty about those remains found were being associated with everything from Alexander, ancient Greece to Roman ....and even Jews due to the distinctive "noses" of the mummified remains (cringe) 

BBC funded if I'm not wrong, suffice to say I'm not that impressed, much less convinced. 

~

[Tatetopa]

2 hours ago, Piney said:

Plaids probably came about before the Indo-Europeans left their homeland.

We come by our questionable fashion sense honestly then.

[SHaYap]

6 minutes ago, Tatetopa said:

We come by our questionable fashion sense honestly then.

I remember learning from a visiting textile / fabric history professor that the weaving looms of the day and color dyes available dictated much of the 'fashion' of the Age, that's why carpets / tapestries from a certain region could bankrupt an entire generation of feudal lords just because of an impulsive purchase. 

~

[Still Waters]

Experts recreate Scotland’s oldest tartan discovered in bog

 

https://news.stv.tv/scotland/experts-recreate-scotlands-oldest-tartan-after-discovering-in-glen-affric-bog

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/jan/22/oldest-known-scottish-tartan-piece-glen-affric-peat-bog-recreated