The J-M172 haplogroup also called J2-M172, is an ancient haplogroup estimated as first appearing 24,000 to 19,000 years ago but perhaps earlier. The first J2-M172 man was a member of the J-M304/P209 haplogroup, and almost certainly lived in Southwestern Asia, most likely the region of east Anatolia and south Caucasus. But unlike his recent ancestors, his descendants did not all stay, instead of migrating east toward what is now India, and west along the north and south coasts of the Mediterranean Sea toward what is now France and Algeria. Most living J2-M172 descendants can trace their ancestry to this broad east-west band or are still living there today.
So perhaps you ask, how is it possible that this haplogroup appears, genealogically speaking, in Scottish genealogy trees? It seems the advent and ease of availability of home DNA test have presented something of a conundrum. According to BritiansDNA.com, in this article, they estimate approximately 1 million Englishmen carry Y DNA derived from Roman legions.
Through a process of detective work, historians and scientists at BritainsDNA have discovered a startling fact – around one million men in Britain can claim to be the direct descendants in the male line of the Roman legions.
They hypothesized that the occurrence would be lower in Ireland since the island had less direct contact with Rome and her legions. – this hypothesis turned out to be true. The study did not separate Scottish results but it stands to reason that the percentage of direct male descendants in and deriving from Scotland would be somewhat lower than England and Wales but higher than Ireland. The northern border (southern border from a Scots perspective) was a bit more porous and Roman excursions into the North more common that across the water to Ireland.
This news is of course not unique (Eupopedia estimates J2 comprises 3.5% of the British population). Theories of such have been common. Roman influence in Scotland lasted from about 78 AD to 410 AD. There is a pretty indisputable phenomenon that occurs when an Army of one nation lives in another culture for long periods of time – they take wives and girlfriends and make babies.
It should not be surprising that Alexander Clark of Jura and his direct male descendants carry J-M172 Y DNA.
