Tartan fabric on a loom in Edinburgh, Scotland

© AA World Travel Library/Alamy

Tartan fabric on a loom in Edinburgh, Scotland

If you have any Scottish roots in your family tree, you may have tried to determine which tartan represents your family. But this iconic plaid pattern wasn’t invented in Scotland. Early examples of the pattern exist across central Europe and even into western China, dating back roughly 4,000 years. The tartan’s close association with Scottish culture didn’t fully take hold until the early 19th century, though the pattern had been worn, with some color and pattern combinations associated with particular regions, for at least a century prior.