04-16-2002, 10:01 PM
This is based on the last couple of post on the Celtic myth thread in the reenactment section. Anyway it turned into a discussion about kilts and their origins and so on. Hibernicus you may be right about irish dress being influenced by Greco Christian monks in ireland and I believe patrick himself was educated in this fashion. In Bede's Ecclesiastical histories he points out the fact the Irish church is often at odds with the english church and rome by following greek and coptic customs especially on when Easter is celebrated.<br>
This may help to explain some the influences that helped irish fashion evolve but it doesn't account for the scottish kilt. I personally don't feel the great kilt evolved from the toga since it came along almost a thousand years after patrick and the early missionaries and the fall of rome. A popular misconception I've heard from many people is that the kilt is Irish in origin but from what I understand there is just no evidence for this. The first recorded evidence I know of comes from the time of Elizabeth. It was remarked by contemporary irish witnesses that scottish mercenaries were no longer wearing the trews, leine and brat in the irish fashion but are wearing their plaid(blanket in gaelic) belted around them. I believe the current theories are that the tartan colored brat evolved into the belted plaid of the scottish highlanders and what happened is that in scotland, an outer colony of ireland, many wear no longer able to afford the pants and linen shirts so they made due with wrapping themselves in their blankets or cloaks. It was obviously unusual for otherwise irish witnesses would not have made a comment about it. So my conclusion is that the kilt is a purely scottish phenomenon brought on by necessity and not directly evolved from the toga. As far as the brat I'm guessing its a holdover of the old celtic plaid cloaks seen in roman times. Sorry for the tirade I'm kind of into the scottish history even though I'm a roman mile. Of course I am just a romanized barbarian<br>
Any thoughts<br>
<br>
Naso <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub45.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showLocalUserPublicProfile?login=naso>naso</A> at: 4/17/02 12:45:48 am<br></i>
This may help to explain some the influences that helped irish fashion evolve but it doesn't account for the scottish kilt. I personally don't feel the great kilt evolved from the toga since it came along almost a thousand years after patrick and the early missionaries and the fall of rome. A popular misconception I've heard from many people is that the kilt is Irish in origin but from what I understand there is just no evidence for this. The first recorded evidence I know of comes from the time of Elizabeth. It was remarked by contemporary irish witnesses that scottish mercenaries were no longer wearing the trews, leine and brat in the irish fashion but are wearing their plaid(blanket in gaelic) belted around them. I believe the current theories are that the tartan colored brat evolved into the belted plaid of the scottish highlanders and what happened is that in scotland, an outer colony of ireland, many wear no longer able to afford the pants and linen shirts so they made due with wrapping themselves in their blankets or cloaks. It was obviously unusual for otherwise irish witnesses would not have made a comment about it. So my conclusion is that the kilt is a purely scottish phenomenon brought on by necessity and not directly evolved from the toga. As far as the brat I'm guessing its a holdover of the old celtic plaid cloaks seen in roman times. Sorry for the tirade I'm kind of into the scottish history even though I'm a roman mile. Of course I am just a romanized barbarian<br>
Any thoughts<br>
<br>
Naso <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub45.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showLocalUserPublicProfile?login=naso>naso</A> at: 4/17/02 12:45:48 am<br></i>