Hello,
John wrote:
>Not much evidence of Semitic trade into the region
either until Phoenician times (after 1,000 BCE). <
Not really, John. Most of the (and all the old ones) Hittite texts we have
are written by the cuneiform writing system brought to Hattusas by Akkadian
(i.e.Semitic) scribes, following trade routes !
And there is hardly any evidence for contact between Hittites and Minoans or
Mycenaeans (see the Ahhijawa - problem).
Best wishes from Crete
Sabine