>>8161525 lb
If the Phoenicians sailed up the St Lawrence River to get to
Great Lakes copper, they would have had a lot of difficulty
Portaging around LaChine rapids, Niagara Fall and Detroit.
But if they just sailed up the Mississippi
Past the dig site at Cairo, MO
And up the Illinois River
Past the Koster dig site,
They would have gotten almost to the Chicago shore.
Much easier and it avoids the warlike Iroquois peoples.
Koster on the Illinois has been extensively dug
The Helton phase from 5700BC to 4900BC
Contains some copper so this could be the result
Of copper being shipped through the area
Finding it in the Middle East is a bit harder
Because there is not a clear delineation when the copper age began
Especially if it was being used to make green and blue pigments
Rather than metal tools
But there is not enough evidence to say that it didn't happen
The return trip in the Atlantic would have encouraged skirting the coast of the British Isles
So when the bronze age began
It is interesting to note that Cornwall and other sites where the Cymri and related peoples lived
Have ancient tin mines.