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Summary by Claude.ai (which has a way with words):

This YouTube video explores whether ancient civilizations had concepts of their own "ancient civilizations," examining how past cultures understood deep history.

Key Points:

Greek Understanding of the Past

Greeks had two approaches to history: factual accounts (like Thucydides' scientific history) and mythological frameworks (Hesiod's Five Ages of Man)
They believed they lived in the Iron Age, with previous ages of declining greatness including the Age of Heroes
While aware of older cultures like Egypt, Greeks often explained ancient ruins through mythology rather than accurate historical understanding

The Case of the 10,000 and Lost Assyria

In 401 BC, Greek mercenaries marched through Mesopotamia and encountered ruins of Nineveh and Nimrud
Xenophon misidentified these Assyrian cities as Median - only 200 years after the Neo-Assyrian Empire's fall
This demonstrates how quickly major civilizations could vanish from historical memory (comparable to forgetting Napoleon today)

Neo-Babylonian Archaeology

King Nabonidus (556-539 BC) and other Neo-Babylonian rulers conducted what we'd recognize as archaeological excavations
They restored ancient temples up to 1,700 years old, carefully preserving original foundations
Motivations were religious and political - claiming legitimacy by connecting to ancient traditions
Nabonidus's daughter Ennigaldi maintained possibly the world's first museum with artifacts spanning over 1,000 years
Some artifacts were forgeries created to establish political legitimacy (like the Cruciform Monument)

Conclusion

Ancient civilizations did have concepts of their own ancient past, but their understanding was often inaccurate, mythologized, or shaped by contemporary political and religious needs. The Neo-Babylonians represent perhaps the most sophisticated example of ancient peoples actively investigating and preserving their deep past.