ancient sporran?

[chimera]

Hullo from a newbie,
If you are bent towards history, the following may be of interest (or very boring). It's about the Greek aegis shield-belt:
"Another version describes it to have been really the goat's skin used as a belt to support the shield. When so used it would generally be fastened on the right shoulder, and would partially envelop the chest as it passed obliquely round in front and behind to be attached to the shield under the left arm. Hence, by metonymy, it would be employed to denote at times the shield which it supported, and at other times a cuirass, the purpose of which it in part served. In accordance with this double meaning, the ægis appears in works of art sometimes as an animal's skin thrown over the shoulders and arms, and sometimes as a cuirass, with a border of snakes corresponding to the tassels of Homer, usually with the Gorgon's head, the gorgoneion, in the centre. It is often represented on the statues of Roman emperors, heroes, and warriors, and on cameos and vases.
The current modern interpretation is that the Hittite sacral hieratic hunting bag (kursas), a rough and shaggy goatskin that has been firmly established in literary texts and iconography by H.G. Güterbock,[3] is the most likely source of the aegis.[4].
[edit] Etymology
Greek Αιγις has 3 meanings:-
"violent windstorm", from the verb 'αïσσω (stem 'αïγ-) = "I rush or move violently".
The gods' shield as described above.
"goatskin coat", from treating the word as "something grammatically feminine pertaining to goat (Greek αιξ (stem αιγ-))".
The original meaning may have been #1, and Ζευς 'Αιγιοχος = "Zeus who holds the aegis" may have originally meant "Sky/Heaven, who holds the storm". The transition to the meaning "shield" may have come by folk-etymology among a people familiar with draping an animal skin over the left arm as a shield."_wikipedia.
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So it's saying that the shaggy hunting bag of Hittite priests became the shield-belt with tassels. Tassels were a symbol of nobles and priests, which adds to the sporran's dignity. Celts were on the north of Macedonia in Alexander the Great's time. Do you have any info. or comments?

[RockyR]

Interesting...

And welcome to XMARKS from PA!

[James MacMillan]

from Cloudy Southern California

[jordanjm]

from Salt Lake City, UT

[Arizona Scot]

Welcome aboard from partially sunny Arizona.

[CactusJack]

Very interesting read, Thanks for sharing and

Hello and From a cloudy St. Louis, Mo.

[Chef]

Very interesting.

from Long Island NY

[chimera]

Not one negative comment! ok then.
Both the Hittites of "Turkey-Iraq" and Phrygians of "Turkey" wore kilts around 800-600 BC (with no plaid shown). Phrygians (which can be expressed as "brygian" : high place - as in PHilip / Bilip) are illustrated with shields marked with ....X.. They have leg tattoos (or bindings) in x shape, and pointy noses.
I am hoping someone can put in info. to take this further.
I am of Angus and Irving.

[beloitpiper]

I think calling what they wore a "kilt" would be improper, as many ancient civilzations utilized skirts or wraps as clothing. And I'm not surprised with the X tattoo or decoration...it's a very common symbol.

Oh, and welcome from Beloit, Wisconsin!!!

[cavscout]

Perhaps I missed it in the OP but why would shield be interpreted as a ancient sporran?

A sporran is a pouch or bag, so I don't follow the concept of an aegis being an ancient form of it I see the bit about the hunting bag but many cultures wore un-bifurcated garments and carried bags, so still not a very strong case for tying it to a sporran.

And following BP's post, basing a link between Greek and Scot because they both used an 'X' is not sound. Scots didn't give a hoot about the 'X' until about 832 AD.

No offense, but I don't understand what you're hoping to hear.