I think it’s a lot less mysterious than people think. A fine ancient civilisation no doubt, and interesting because of it, but I doubt there’s any great amazing thing that’s been hidden all this time. Just because we can’t think of a simple explanation 3000 years later based on leftovers, doesn’t mean there isn’t one! Or maybe they just made some shit up based on how they felt at the time.
I do however think there is an interesting phenomenon going on here though. The concept of ‘wisdom of the ancients’ has been popular currency since the renaissance, where they did rediscover a load of old knowledge that had been forgotten. This gave us the study of classics and the romantic idea that other amazing knowledge was there to be discovered or had even been lost forever*. Romance being what it is, these ideas have been recirculated so much in popular culture they are now completely embedded in our cultural landscape. Rather like war-like ideologically driven cultures, often from the East.. mm hmm…
* actually.. goes back further than that.. the Atlantis story is ancient Greek, or at least the basis of it.