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We all know the greats, we've all probably read a few.

But has anyone wondered about "how" the system selected the greats from the not so greats?

Today, we have universities, degrees to earn, bodies of people who critique one's body of work, and bodies of people who measure ones impact on a profession. But how did they do it in ancient Rome, or Greece?

Who exactly made these decisions, before peer review was a thing?

A lot of them had their own "schools" and also had the benefit of teaching people who cemented other legacies in history. For example the chain from Socrates teaching Plato who taught Aristotle who taught Alexander the Great.