The excerpts are from Klimov's Etymological dictionary of Kartvelian languages. The proposed age of Proto-Kartvelian divergence is 4200 years before present. Others proposed slightly higher ages. Anyway, it's safe to assume that it occurred in Bronze Age.
The first separation are Svans. Later Zan languages separated from Georgian (or Kartli ) at 2600 years ago. While in medieval period Zan itself splits to Mingrelian and Laz.
Georgian was the language spoken in historic Iberia. Which in medieval period expanded thanks to the emergence of unified Georgian kingdom under the rule of Bagratids.
With current genetic and archaeological data combined the most likely place of proto-Kartvelian divergence might be in Western Georgia in Bronze Age. Where they were dwelling before Bronze Age is a different subject. But in most likelihood their ultimate origin is in Fertile Crescent.
Gamkrelidze proposed a slightly Eastern homeland, but current genetic data do not support that. First, we can't place their divergence homeland in Eastern Georgia because in western Georgia there is no steppe ancestry, while eastern Georgia might have a substantial inflow of steppe in MBA. If a migration from east to west occurred in MBA or later that would definitely have left genetic traces.
The other reason is the archaeology. Eastern Georgia had Kur-Araxian culture in EBA and Trialeti-Vanadzor culture in MBA. None of this culture fits well for the Proto-Kartvelian homeland. Even though a Kartvelian presence can be imagined in the Kura-Araxes but the strong presence of J1 popular in Nakh-Dagestani people imposes some geographic limitations on the possible presence of Kartvelian in Kura-Araxes.
Some believe that proto-Kartvelian homeland was more southern toward Anatolia. But that's also not feasible. Given that modern Western Georgians have excessive affinity to Eneolithic western Caucasus (CHG rich) and less to Anatolia. Should an important migration from south to north occurred that would have left more Anatolian ancestry in Georgia than its present today. Also, their popular Y DNA do not fit this theory.
In sum we are left with the only one solution. To place them in Western Georgia.
Nevertheless, this theory is not without problems. Because in western Georgia there is also evidence of ancient NWC like onomastic. Gamkrelidze mentions evidence of NWC like substrate in Svans. Also, there are very few hydronyms with obvious Kartvelian etymology. One of such a Kartvelian name according Klimov is Chorokh which appears in Greek sources later than the Akampsis/Boas names.
One solution to overcome those contradictions is to imagine that NWC related groups were initially more prevalent in coastal regions while Kartvelian were in mountain regions of Western and Central Georgia. Later they expanded toward coastal regions, while another group formed the Iberia.
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