First example of story told via dual timelines?

A few novels I read recently were told via dual timelines, with chapters alternating between a "current" plot and a "background" story.

It felt to me as a "modern" story-telling technique, since I mostly witnessed its occurrence in other contemporary media (movies, TV shows).
I guess its pacing can help maintaining the interest of a public whose attention is a more limited resource nowadays.

Is it really a recent thing however, or are there more "classical" examples of dual timelines story-telling?
What would be the first recorded one?

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First example of story told via dual timelines?

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