5 November 2024 The Future is the Product of the Past

Scotland’s oldest tartan discovered in Highlands bog

According to new research, a piece of fabric discovered in a bog in the Scottish Highlands may be the oldest traditional tartan ever discovered.

New tests on a scrap of fabric found in a Highland peat bog in the early 1980s have concluded that the iconic checked material is likely to have been created in the 16th century.

Discovered in a peat bog in Glen Affric in the Scottish Highlands, the faded fabric features traces of green and brown dye and belonged to an unknown clan.

Researchers used dye analysis and radiocarbon dating to determine the tartan’s age. The investigation found four possible colors in the fabric, via high-resolution digital microscopy, including green, brown, and possibly red and yellow.

Researchers discovered no artificial or semi-synthetic dyes were used in the tartan’s creation, leading them to believe it predates the 1750s and was most likely created between 1500 and 1600. This making it the oldest known piece of true tartan discovered in Scotland.

The Glen Affric tartan, thought to be the oldest in Scotland, which will be displayed in a new exhibition at the V&A Dundee from next month. Photo: Alan Richardson / V&A Dundee
The Glen Affric tartan, thought to be the oldest in Scotland, which will be displayed in a new exhibition at the V&A Dundee from next month. Photo: Alan Richardson / V&A Dundee

STA’s head of research and collection Peter MacDonald explained that the testing process took almost six months and that the organisation was “thrilled with the results”, adding, “In Scotland, surviving examples of old textiles are rare as the soil is not conducive to their survival”.

This piece’s survival is most likely due to it being buried in peat, which prevents exposure to air and other factors that could have further damaged it.

Experts have said the tartan was more of a rustic fabric, more associated with an outdoor working garment rather than somebody of high status.

It may have belonged to the Clan Chisholm, which controlled the area at the time, although researchers are unable to make any firm conclusions.

The tartan measures around 21in by 17in (55cm by 43cm).

The piece of Scottish history is expected to go on display at the Scottish V&A Dundee museum’s Tartan exhibition.

V&A Dundee

Related Articles

A Roman Votive Monument Discovered During Excavations at the Roman Open-Air Museum Hechingen-Stein

1 November 2024

1 November 2024

During recent excavations by the State Office for Monument Preservation (LAD) in the Stuttgart Regional Council and the Association for...

Bergama Ancient City Takes Its Place in Digital Environment

1 February 2021

1 February 2021

As a result of the studies carried out by the German Institute, Bergama Ancient City was It was transferred to...

1400-Year-Old Folding Chair Found in a Woman’s Grave in Germany

30 August 2022

30 August 2022

In Steinsfeld, in the German state of Ansbach, archaeologists have unearthed a 1,400-year-old folding chair from an early medieval woman’s...

Unusual Potter’s Signature or Graffito found during excavation of a Roman tile kiln in England

2 August 2023

2 August 2023

Cotswold Archeology and a team of volunteers have found an unusual potter’s signature or graffito in Minety, a village in...

The identities of the occupants of the unspoiled 4th-century BCE Royal Tombs at Vergina in northern Greece have been identified

26 January 2024

26 January 2024

The identities of the occupants of the unspoiled 4th-century BCE Royal Tombs at Vergina in northern Greece have been identified....

An intact Punic Tomb was Discovered in Malta

29 May 2021

29 May 2021

İntact a tomb dating to the Punic period was found in Tarxien. The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage has announced the...

Hundreds of skeletons found on Welsh beach

4 July 2021

4 July 2021

Archaeologists found the burial site of women and children just below the surface of the sand dunes on Whitesands Bay...

Archaeologists Discovered the Largest Inscription Ever Found in Sri Lanka

10 February 2024

10 February 2024

Archaeologists discovered the largest inscription ever found in Sri Lanka. The largest inscription ever discovered in Sri Lanka was found...

Oldest Aboriginal pottery discovered in Far North Queensland

10 April 2024

10 April 2024

More than 2000 years ago, Aboriginal Australians were producing ceramics on a secluded island about 35 kilometers off the coast...

The place where John the Baptist was martyred

4 February 2022

4 February 2022

The infamous birthday banquet of Herod Antipas, which culminated in the beheading of St John the Baptist — a preacher...

Twin temples linked to Hercules and Alexander the Great discovered in Sumerian city of Girsu

29 January 2024

29 January 2024

Archaeologists discovered two temples, with one buried over the other, during excavations at Girsu, a Sumerian city in southeastern Iraq...

Two Infant burials found under prehistoric “Dragon Stone” in Armenia

4 June 2024

4 June 2024

An international team of researchers has unearthed the remains of an adult woman and two infants buried under a basalt...

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Celebrates 151th Anniversary of Its Establishment

13 April 2021

13 April 2021

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of the few museums in the world, celebrates the 151st anniversary of its establishment....

New studies confirm that there was indeed a shipyard at Lothal, the commercial center of the Harappan civilization and world’s oldest port

6 September 2024

6 September 2024

Since the discovery of Harappan sites at Lothal, located about 30 kilometers inland from the coast of the Gulf of...

Japan’s possibly oldest stone molds for bronze casting discovered at Yoshinogari ruins

4 December 2023

4 December 2023

At the Yoshinogari Ruins in the western prefecture of Saga, relics including stone casting molds for bronze artifacts have been...