I think most people forget that Cleopatra was of Greek ancestry (being a Ptolemy) and a player in the relatively recent classical world.
The thing I do think a lot of people forget is just how old the Pyramids are. I do know it but often have trouble really putting it into perspective.
Also note the Great Pyramid at Giza was the tallest building in the world for almost 4000 years. And some buildings that later took the title were actually shorter than the Great Pyramid originally was at construction, but the Great Pyramid eroded over the millennia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skara_Brae
I find it amazing that this wee village was roughly 2000 years old when Troy fell.
[The Knap of Howar, also on Orkney is even older: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knap_of_Howar]