* Cuneiform was complex: It used wedge-shaped symbols that represented syllables, not individual letters. This meant that learners had to memorize hundreds of symbols, and writing was a time-consuming and laborious process.
* Phoenician alphabet was phonetic: It used a set of symbols to represent individual sounds, making it much easier to learn and use.
* Phoenician alphabet was simpler: It had only 22 symbols, compared to the hundreds in cuneiform. This made it much easier to learn and write.
These factors made the Phoenician alphabet much more accessible than cuneiform, leading to its rapid adoption across the Mediterranean and ultimately the foundation of most modern alphabets.