Quote Originally Posted by phred View Post
And culture affinity may be making a difference. But that's speculation on my part.
It does indeed make a significant difference. If one looks at the factors in the diplomatic screen (mouse-over tooltip from the red/yellow/green face icon), "Cultural Aversion" is usually one of the biggest negative factors, eclipsed only by war. With the absence of this diplomatic hit, the Hellenic factions start off much friendlier toward you (or perhaps more accurately, "much less hostile"), and therefore readily willing to engage in trade.