Better is subjective. Places like Egypt, Turkey, Iran, China, Peru (among others) are a veritable treasure trove of archaeological goodies. The remark about th

Better is subjective. Places like Egypt, Turkey, Iran, China, Peru (among others) are a veritable treasure trove of archaeological goodies. The remark about the economy is interesting. The cost of maintaining so many monuments, prosecuting looters, postponing critical construction projects when major archaeological treasures are discovered, etc has a significant cost to the economy (when these resources could have possibly been applied to improving healthcare and economic opportunity). It is therefore no surprise that not all residents of these countries share the same sense of wonder and excitement of their ziggurats or temples as foreign tourists.