Overview
Haplogroup R-Y13580 is a relatively small but historically informative subclade of R-Y14416. It likely arose in the early Iron Age within highland communities of the southern Caucasus and represents a localized founder lineage embedded in the broader R-Z2103 framework. Its formation overlaps with the period in which early Urartian and pre-Armenian cultural complexes were emerging, and it may have been part of the paternal background of groups living in and around the Armenian Highland. Y13580 exhibits a strongly regional distribution with a clear emphasis on mountainous and plateau regions. This suggests that it developed within populations that were comparatively isolated by topography, allowing the lineage to persist over long periods without being replaced by later migrants. Its moderate time depth and restricted spread make it a good marker for studying micro history and local continuity within the Caucasus. Although Y13580 is less frequent globally than larger R-Z2103 branches such as Z2106 or CTS1843, its presence fills an important gap in the fine scale reconstruction of steppe derived lineages in the Caucasus. It demonstrates that even within a single regional and cultural sphere, R-Z2103 ancestry diversified into multiple, distinct and long lived paternal lines.