[NorthMountain]

I think we misjudge how wise they were and how much they understood,

Do you mean to say that we overestimate them, or that we underestimate them? And who is "we"?

[Jamestown1630]

I think that the modern human “intelligentsia” have generally UNDERestimated the intelligence, knowledge, wisdom, of ancient peoples.

There’s an old and interesting book that I’ve been skimming, prior to settling down with it:

‘The Lost Light: An Interpretation of Ancient Scriptures’, by Alvin Boyd Kuhn

https://archive.org/details/lostlightaninter029017mbp