The Fertile Cresent Paradox

From the end of the last Ice Age (10,000 years ago) to now, the fertile cresent has been more or less front page news. It is contrary to common sense that an area not much bigger than New England continually draws the worlds attention. Mesopotamia (Iraq), Cannaan (Palestine), and Egypt are all featured in the rise and fall of ancient civilitations leading to Western society.

Also odd, in spite of the Catholic Chuch's initial (violent)reluctance to allow excavation of the Egyptian Pyramids, every public school teaches some Egyptian history...however, none (or very few) teach anything about the history of Sumer.

Why is Sumerian Civilization never discussed even though it created many of the societal constructs we use today?

Whay does such a small geographic area consistantly grab 90% of the world's attention