Did the Welsh wear kilts??

creativeaccents · 27th September 07, 06:49 AM

From Deodorus Siculus "The way they dress is astonishing: they wear brightly coloured and embroidered shirts, with trousers called bracae and cloaks fastened at the shoulder with a brooch, heavy in winter, light in summer. These cloaks are striped or checkered in design, with the seperate checks close together and in various colours." Written during the 1st century BC about the Celts in Italy

**davedove** · 27th September 07, 07:03 AM

Originally Posted by slohairt

You can be sure tartan was worn in the other Celtic nations as well. It would not be a stretch to say the ancient Welsh wore tartan mantles/wraps/capes.

Tartan has been produced all over the world. Matt Newsome had a great story on his blog that shows African tribesmen wearing tartan garments.

Once weaving is developed by a culture, it's only a matter of time before they start weaving different colors together in patterns.

**slohairt** · 27th September 07, 07:28 AM

Yes, the Masai tribes of southern Kenya. I think we can all agree, however, that no one has taken tartan to such a fine art as the Scots have.

**Galician** · 27th September 07, 09:54 AM

Originally Posted by slohairt

P.S. That reminds me, experts (and most official organisations) generally agree that there are only six Celtic nations: Ireland, Scotland, The Isle of Man, Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany. Claims put forward by regions like Galicia, and Asturias (both in Spain) have little validity, as their claims of "Celtic" culture do not meet any definable criteria.

I would imagine that my screen name here indicates where I stand in this matter. I have seen enough lengthy "discussions" on Celtic identity to want to avoid another Celtic ID wars, but I think that there are weighty arguments from both cultural elements and genetic data to question the certainty shown in this statement.

It was interesting that the very next post was of the Celts in Italy in the first century B.C.

**Arlen** · 27th September 07, 09:56 AM

No one has mentioned it yet, but go to Matt's site and read this http://albanach.org/kilt.html

He is one of the best people to explain the history of the kilt and many of the myths around it.

creativeaccents · 27th September 07, 01:04 PM

I too think the whole issue of kilts, Celts, tartans, and nationalities have been done and redone, with many a less than noble bit of history and events of history under the many national skirts.

Interestingly, there are still many in the furthest reaches of the Appalachians who still carry remnants of dialect and accents from the 16 & 1700s as well as the same music, dance, food preferences and folkways. These folks are deep in the wilderness for the same reasons their forefathers settled there, i.e., to escape social, governmental, religious and many other intrusions. As in Braveheart, they simply wanted freedom. Ironically, the first major instance of Americans taking up arms against government intrusion was when they dared to tax their whiskey. Celtic blood runs deep!

**slohairt** · 27th September 07, 10:51 PM

Originally Posted by Galician

I would imagine that my screen name here indicates where I stand in this matter. I have seen enough lengthy "discussions" on Celtic identity to want to avoid another Celtic ID wars, but I think that there are weighty arguments from both cultural elements and genetic data to question the certainty shown in this statement.

It was interesting that the very next post was of the Celts in Italy in the first century B.C.

Oh, I agree. I wasn't trying to ruffle feathers, that's why I said most. Genetics today are providing some startling results concerning the true origin of ethnic groups. However, having said that, most entities still regard language as the definable criteria. Such was the case when I took Celtic Studies. Galego belongs to the Romance family while the languages of the "Six Celtic Nations" are Celtic. Loan words and influence abound, but that claim can be made by most of Western Europe.