> * But 2,000 years ago the Europeans were were not "civilised" in the sense that we think of.*
That really depends on what's your definition of "Europeans" and "civilized". The Catholic church exists for around 2 thousand years,is still alive and well, has its capital in Italy, and has defined western society for centuries.
> America is a baby compared to them, the history and memory are very different.
Yes, my house is older than the United States. We found pieces of journals talking about the General Bonaparte. It's pretty common to find stuff from several centuries ago in old buildings.
Europeans civilization are 1000s of years old, America is a baby compared to them, the history and memory are very different.