I'm Z156, Z155 was a typo.
Hi Garron,
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Yes, you should be able to trust the 23andMe assignment, because the 23andMe test has specifically tested for the relevant mutations. Occasionally, some mutations in these kinds of chip-based tests are not called correctly, but this is rare, and we haven't known it happen with the haplogroups you mentioned.
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Your message mentioned both R-Z155 and R-Z156, which are very haplogroups within R-U106, though both over 3000 years old. R-Z155 represents around 0.2% of European men, R-Z156 represents around 5% of European men. R-Z155 is probably pre-Germanic in origin, while R-Z156 is probably associated with the earliest phases of the Unetice Culture.
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A Y-DNA test at Family Tree DNA would find a haplogroup closer to the present for you, and match your Y-DNA mutations against the hundreds of thousands of men who have taken a Y-DNA test. In terms of understanding your ancestry, results vary hugely depending on how many people you match, how closely you match them, and what they know about their ancestry. You could find yourself on an isolated branch with no matches, or you could find yourself with a list of new people for your family tree. Most people find between a few and a few dozen historical-era relations, and get assigned a haplogroup that is either modern or medieval age. Whether we can say anything about that haplogroup's origins depends on what your matches' known ancestry is - e.g., if they have a consistent place of origin, you will ultimately come from that place too. Unfortunately, no-one can tell you how lucky you will be until you take the test!
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Best wishes,
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Iain.
