I'd blame the previous lack of scholastic investigation on places like Gobekli Tepe on the arrogance of Ivory Tower archaeologists whose 'publish or perish' meme has them focussing their 'grant monies' on digs which support their accepted 'theories': all at places which often wish to attract tourist dollars to the 'birthplace of civilization'.

Hello Pyramids and mummies and gold masks, and no hello to secret chambers under the Sphinx.

Mustn't allow anything to change the narrative.

Such arrogance kept grant money from exploring the supposedly 'Primitive' Amazonia for generations.

Now of course evidence of ancient cities are being found, roads and canals, astronomically aligned configurations and forest arboreal biodiversity showing clear evidence of planned planting for millennia.