How did the ancients study history? Do we have historical theories / methods of the Persians, Romans, Egyptians, etc? What was the public perception on history?

by Happy_Move_2864

Did they have professional historians? What about "pop" history vs "academic" history in their time?

And what do current historians think about their "theories" (if any)?

Holy_Shit_HeckHounds

More can be said, but for one aspect check out: What did ancient historians think of historians? written by u/Celebreth

For modern perspectives, this brief answer: Which ancient historians are most reliable? written by u/Tiako

This answer while not exactly "ancient," this does talk about history in China: Non-Greco-Roman Ancient Historians written by u/Dongzhou3kingdoms