Did the ancient and classical-era civilizations know more about their predecessors than we know about them? For example, did the Ancient Greeks know more about the Minoans, or did the Persians know more about the Babylonians and Sumerians, or whatever civilizations might have existed at the dawn of agriculture? I suppose the same question would apply to Egypt and in the far East.
Follow-up question.
In the case of the Etruscans: are any Romans known to have been concerned about the impending extinction of the Etruscan language? Did any Roman historians focus their efforts to attempt to preserve Etruscan history or language for later generations?