[pcottraux]

Try not to forget that the place where the gospels were written was sacked by Rome in 68 AD. Little can be found of parchments or Papiri after a city is burned and smashed.

Climate plays a big role in this, too. Egypt and Spain have much milder climates than the harsh deserts of the Levant. This is why we have a more complete picture of ancient Egypt than Mesopotamia from the same time.

An interesting fact on that note: we have so many ancient papyri, monuments, statues, artifacts, etc. on Egypt that we actually know more about it than we do Medieval Europe, even though it's obviously much further back in time...in fact, it's not even close.

[editor-surveyor]

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The political stability of Egypt, compared to central Europe may be part of the reason.