The historian's craft has evolved over time, as evidenced by the difference between modern accounts of events and ancient depictions, like Herodotus's stories of Alexander the Great. While accounts like the Epic of Gilgamesh and Homer's Iliad were transmitted orally for generations before being written down, historians like Herodotus were the first to compile and narrate history in a systematic, coherent way.
This podcast talks about how the Persians made their first appearance on the world's stage, and how despite winning wars, they have been depicted as the "bad guys" in history.
While Herodotus is widely regarded as a historian, the structure of his work suggests that it may have been meant to be performed live and read aloud, rather than just read.
The world of ancient history is so old that it's hard for modern people to comprehend it, making it challenging to imagine events that occurred thousands of years ago. It's challenging to find the logical starting place for a historical story about Cleopatra.