Overview
Haplogroup R-Y5592 is a prominent downstream branch of R-Y5587 and represents a key lineage within the Caucasus-centered segment of R-Z2103. It most likely formed during the late Bronze Age within populations that occupied the mountainous zones spanning the Armenian Highland and adjacent parts of Georgia and eastern Anatolia. The time period of its formation corresponds with the emergence of early highland polities and the complex interactions between steppe-derived and indigenous Caucasian cultures. Y5592 exhibits strong regional clustering in Armenia and Georgia, indicating deep settlement continuity and limited large-scale outward expansion compared with some other R-Z2103 branches. Its downstream branches often correlate with historically stable populations, including those connected with ancient Armenian tribal groups, early Georgian cultural formations and later medieval communities. Despite its strong Caucasian focus, Y5592 also appears at modest frequencies in the Balkans and eastern Mediterranean, likely reflecting long-distance trade connections, early Iron Age movements or medieval geopolitical interactions across the Byzantine and Anatolian worlds. Its internal diversity reflects more than three millennia of uninterrupted presence in the greater Caucasus region.