 What are the origins of the Scots and how did they connect to Spain, Egypt and Scythia? Scotland, which is known as Alipar and Scottish Gallic, formed into its embryonic kingdom in 843 AD, when Kenneth McAlpine unified the Picts and the Gales, also known as the Scots, into the Kingdom of Alipar. The Cumbric-speaking Kingdom of Strathclyde was incorporated in the following centuries, along with the Anglo-influenced Lothian area and the Norse-influenced Isles and the northern islands themselves of Shetland and Orkney. But what are some of the deeper origins of the Scots? Firstly though, the term Scot is actually a little more complicated than initially meets the eye. And the Gales in the Scots are used interchangeably in certain contexts, depending on the time period described. This is because the Romans refer to Ireland as Scotia, for centuries, meaning the land of the Scots. The terms Scotia and Scots gradually began to be used more to refer to Scotland, however, from the 9th century onwards, and largely exclusively in the centuries after, to refer to the people of the Kingdom of Scotland. This video will focus on the origin stories of the Scots in the context of Scotland for the most part, but I will touch on aspects of Ireland as well. One of the most popular origin stories of the Scots is that we are descended from the daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh called Scotta. After leaving Egypt, the story goes that Scotta and her people lived in Spain for a period, then on to Ireland and eventually settled in Scotland. Certain sources argue that Scotta was married to a city in Prince, who himself was the son-in-law of an Egyptian pharaoh. A curious and interesting origin story of the Scots refers to the Scythians, a people who lived in modern-day Ukraine, parts of Russia, and the Eurasian steppe in general. In the 1320 declaration of our growth, which was a letter signed by the Scottish nobility and sent to the pope, asking him to recognise Scotland's independence and Robert the Bruce as king, there is a curious reference to Greater Scythia, as the declaration states, the Scots journeyed from Greater Scythia by way of the Terranian Sea and the pillars of Hercules and dwelt for a long course of time in Spain. Since it came, 1200 years after the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea to his home in the west where it still lives today. This origin story of the Scots, the declaration of our growth's origin story of the Scots, references a region that is also brought up in the story of Scotta, namely Spain. Spain comes up time and time again in the origin stories of the Scots, but why is this? And is there any truth to this? Well, it does seem that there was a sizable migration from the Iberian Peninsula into parts of modern-day Scotland and other parts of Britain and Ireland, incidentally. Brian Sykes, who was a late professor of human genetics at the University of Oxford, said in a newspaper interview that, About 6000 years ago, Iberians developed ocean-going boats that enabled them to push up the channel. Before they arrived, there were some human inhabitants of Britain, but only a few thousand in number. These people were later subsumed into a larger Celtic tribe. Very quickly, if you would like to support this work and pick up this t-shirt and many more, all the links will be in the description below. Thank you and now on with the video. If we turn their attention back to the stories about the Scythians, it is important to note that the Picts also have a story, an origin story that links them to the Scythians. It comes from Venerable Bede, an English monk who wrote in his book Historia, published in 731 AD. The story goes that the Picts initially sailed from Scythia to Ireland, but after the Irish refused to allow them to settle on their land, they were told of another land close by, namely Scotland. Lacking wives, the Picts then took Irish women with them, under the condition that they would promote their kings from the female royal line, as opposed to the male. It is interesting that the Picts seem to have had a tradition of promoting through the female royal line, as opposed to the male. Another interesting aspect of this connection between the Picts and the Scythians is the timelines of the two peoples. Basically, just when the Scythians disappear from history, the Picts appear in history. The Picts appear in history from around the 3rd century AD to around the 10th century AD, although these are approximate timelines. The Scythians, on the other hand, appear in the historical record about the 9th century BC, and they disappear around the 3rd century AD, partly subsumed by the Goths and other people that took over their territory. So just as the Picts appear in history, the Scythians disappear. Is this just coincidental, or could it be the case that some Scythians, knowing that their kingdom and their people was all but over in that region, sailed from the Black Sea through the Mediterranean and then eventually settled in the land we call Scotland today? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below, because it is extremely curious how many times the Scythians are referenced from numerous different sources, including quite good sources like Venerable Beat, almost a prime source of that time period, and also the Declaration of Arboroth, which is one of the most important documents in Scottish history, but please let me know your thoughts in the comments below. This is a connection I've discussed on numerous occasions, but it's an interesting one to explore. There are also various other interesting influences on Scotland, on the genetic side, for instance. A 2012 study of Scotland's DNA found that more than 1% of all Scots men are direct descendants of the Berber and Tureg Triseman of the Sahara, a lineage which is around 5,600 years old. Some have argued that the introduction of this genetic line into Scotland relates to the medieval Caliphate of Cordoba, which ruled parts of the Iberian Peninsula until the 10th century AD. Speaking of Scotland, what is the genetic history of Scotland? A 2019 study managed to group Scotland into six genetic clusters, the northeast, the southwest, the borders, the Hebrides, Shetland and Orkney. More broadly, Scotland is defined by a northeast-southwest division close to the River Forth, a division that reflects the territories of the Gaels and the Picts historically. This 2019 study also managed to group the Aile of Man with southwestern individuals, and it also found that the Hebrides is genetically distinct from the rest of mainland Scotland, a genetic island, so to speak. A 2012 study led by the University of Edinburgh found that around 1% of Scots are direct descendants of the Berber or Tureg Triseman of the Sahara, a lineage which goes back around 5,600 years ago. This study also found that 50% of participants, who had the surname Stuart, were direct descendants of the royal line of kings, and in fact had royal DNA. A study from April 2013 found that 73% of Scots had the iron brew gene, which meant that you burned easier in the sun. In Orkney, there is a remarkable genetic legacy left by the Vikings. Orkney in general was the most genetically distinct across the British Isles. The people of the British Isles study found that 25% of the people of Orkney's DNA comes from Norwegian sources, a clear marker of the Viking presence and the later Norwegian presence. This shows that the Vikings did not completely replace the indigenous population of Orkney, however, a Pictish population or thought to have been a Pictish population and intermarried with the native population. More broadly, there is a clear Norse presence across all Scottish samples, a clear legacy of the Vikings. Unsurprisingly, Orkney's cousin, Shetland, also has a high degree of Norse ancestry, at around 20-25% coming from Norwegian ancestry. In both Orkney and Shetland, the degree of Norse influence is higher from people that traditionally their ancestors were from the north of Orkney and Shetland. Norwegian ancestry is lower in the Hebrides, the southwest and the northeast of Scotland, in addition to the Isle of Man, averaging around 4%. Studies have also found links between people in the north of Ireland and Scotland, hardly surprising given the history of the Gaels and the Kingdom of Dalriada, which I did actually make a video on, which I'll link above. Another reason for the links between the north of Ireland and Scotland is the Ulster plantation. The people of the British Isles study also found that there was a large movement of people from northern France into Scotland between 6,000 and 3,000 years ago. What's your thoughts and what other articles or studies have you came across on the genetic history of Scotland? Please let me know in the comments below. Thanks for watching. Like say if you liked support this work, all the ways will be in the description below, including to my merch store where you can pick up this T-shirt and many more in paper to your own PayPal buy me a coffee dot com or other ways to support. Please subscribe and hit the bell to tell your friends and family about this channel as well. Thanks for watching and I'll see you next time.