Taffy. Ancient History: East

EGYPT

Egypt is located in Africa and has long been famous for its pyramids, sphinxes, the flooding of the Nile and Queen Cleopatra.

Pyramids are pyramid-shaped buildings that were erected by the pharaohs for their glorification. The pharaohs were caring people and did not trust even the closest people to dispose of their corpse at their discretion. And, barely out of infancy, the pharaoh was already looking after himself a secluded place and began to build a pyramid for his future ashes.

After death, the body of the pharaoh was gutted from the inside with great ceremonies and stuffed with aromas. Outside, they enclosed it in a painted case, put it all together in a sarcophagus and placed it inside the pyramid. From time to time, that small amount of pharaoh, which was enclosed between the fragrances and the case, dried up and turned into a hard membrane. This is how the ancient monarchs spent the people's money unproductively!

But fate is fair. In less than a few tens of thousands of years, the Egyptian population regained its prosperity by wholesale and retail trading in the mortal corpses of their overlords, and in many European museums one can see examples of these dried pharaohs, nicknamed mummies for their immobility. For a special fee, museum watchmen allow visitors to snap the mummy with their fingers.

Further, the ruins of temples serve as monuments of Egypt. Most of all, they were preserved on the site of ancient Thebes, nicknamed by the number of their twelve gates "hundred gates". Now, according to archaeologists, these gates have been converted into Arab villages. So sometimes the great turns into useful!

The monuments of Egypt are often covered with inscriptions that are extremely difficult to make out. Scientists therefore called them hieroglyphs.

The inhabitants of Egypt were divided into different castes. The priests belonged to the most important caste. It was very difficult to get into the priesthood. To do this, it was necessary to study geometry to the equality of triangles, including geography, which at that time embraced space the globe not less than six hundred square miles.

The priests were up to their necks, because, in addition to geography, they also had to engage in worship, and since the Egyptians had an extremely large number of gods, it was sometimes difficult for a different priest to snatch at least an hour for geography in the whole day.

The Egyptians were not particularly choosy in giving divine honors. They deified the sun, the cow, the Nile, the bird, the dog, the moon, the cat, the wind, the hippopotamus, the earth, the mouse, the crocodile, the snake, and many other domestic and wild animals.

In view of this God-manyness, the most cautious and pious Egyptian every minute had to commit various blasphemy. Either he steps on a cat’s tail, or he clicks on a sacred dog, or he eats a holy fly in borscht. The people were nervous, dying out and degenerating

Among the pharaohs there were many remarkable ones who glorified themselves with their monuments and autobiographies, not expecting this courtesy from their descendants.

BABYLON

Babylon, known for its pandemonium, was also nearby.

ASSYRIA

The main city of Assyria was Assur, named after the god Assur, who in turn received this name from the main city of Assu. Where is the end, where is the beginning - the ancient peoples, due to illiteracy, could not figure it out and did not leave any monuments that could help us in this bewilderment.

The Assyrian kings were very warlike and cruel. They struck their enemies most of all with their names, of which Assur-Tiglaf-Abu-Herib-Nazir-Nipal was the shortest and simplest. As a matter of fact, it was not even a name, but an abbreviated affectionate nickname, which was given to the young king by his mother for his small stature.

The custom of the Assyrian christening was as follows: as soon as the king gave birth to a male, female or other baby, immediately a specially trained clerk sat down and, taking wedges in his hands, began to write the name of the newborn on clay slabs. When, exhausted by labor, the clerk fell dead, he was replaced by another, and so on until the baby reached middle age. By this time, his entire name was considered to be fully and correctly spelled to the end.

These kings were very cruel. Loudly calling out their name, before they conquered the country, they had already seated its inhabitants on stakes.

According to the surviving images, modern scholars see that the Assyrians had a very high hairdressing art, since all the kings had beards curled with even, neat curls.

If we take this issue even more seriously, then we can be even more surprised, since it is clear that in Assyrian times, not only people, but also lions did not neglect hairdressing tongs. For the Assyrians depict beasts always with the same manes and tails curled into curls, like the beards of their kings.

Truly the study of patterns ancient culture can bring significant benefits not only to people, but also to animals.

The last Assyrian king is, in short, Ashur-Adonai-Aban-Nipal. When the Medes besieged his capital, the cunning Ashur ordered a fire to be made in the square of his palace; then, laying all his property on him, he climbed upstairs himself with all the wives and, having secured himself, burned to the ground.

The frustrated enemies hurried to surrender.

PERSIANS

Iran was inhabited by peoples whose names ended in "Yana": the Bactrians and the Medes, except for the Persians, who ended in "sy".

The Bactrians and the Medes quickly lost their courage and indulged in effeminacy, and the Persian king Astyages had a grandson, Cyrus, who founded the Persian monarchy.

Herodotus tells a touching legend about the youth of Cyrus.

One day Astyages dreamed that a tree grew out of his daughter. Struck by the indecency of this dream, Astyages ordered the magicians to unravel it. The magicians said that the son of the daughter of Astyages would reign over the whole of Asia. Astyages was very upset, because he wanted a more modest fate for his grandson.

And tears flow through the gold! - he said and instructed his courtier to strangle the baby.

The courtier, who was up to his own business, entrusted this business to a shepherd friend. The shepherd, due to ignorance and negligence, mixed everything up and, instead of strangling, began to raise the child.

When the child grew up and began to play with his peers, he once ordered the son of a nobleman to be whipped. The nobleman complained to Astyages. Astyages became interested in the broad nature of the child. After talking with him and examining the victim, he exclaimed:

It's Kir! Only in our family they know how to flog like that.

And Cyrus fell into the arms of his grandfather.

Having entered the age, Cyrus defeated the king of the Lydian Croesus and began to fry him at the stake. But during this procedure, Croesus suddenly exclaimed:

Oh Solon, Solon, Solon!

This greatly surprised the wise Cyrus.

Such words, - he confessed to his friends, - I have never heard from those roasting.

He beckoned Croesus to him and began to ask what it meant.

Then Croesus told that he was visited by the Greek sage Solon. Wanting to throw dust in the eyes of the sage, Croesus showed him his treasures and, to tease, asked Solon whom he considered the happiest person in the world,

If Solon were a gentleman, he would, of course, say "you, your majesty." But the sage was a simple-minded man, one of the narrow-minded, and blurted out that "before death, no one can say to himself that he is happy."

Since Croesus was a king developed beyond his years, he immediately realized that after death people rarely talk at all, so even then they would not have to boast of their happiness, and he was very offended by Solon.

This story greatly shocked the faint-hearted Cyrus. He apologized to Croesus and did not roast him.

After Cyrus, his son Cambyses reigned. Cambyses went to fight with the Ethiopians, went into the desert and there, suffering greatly from hunger, he ate his entire army little by little. Realizing the difficulty of such a system, he hastened to return to Memphis. There at that time they celebrated the opening of the new Apis.

At the sight of this healthy, well-fed bull, the king, emaciated on human flesh, rushed at him and pinned him with his own hand, and at the same time his brother Smerdiz, who was spinning under his feet.

One clever magician took advantage of this and, declaring himself False Smerdiz, immediately began to reign. Persians rejoiced:

Long live our king False Smerdiz! they shouted. At this time, King Cambyses, completely obsessed with beef, died from a wound that he inflicted on himself, wanting to taste his own meat.

Thus died that wisest of the Eastern despots.

After Cambyses, Darius Hystaspes reigned, who became famous for his campaign against the Scythians.

The Scythians were very brave and cruel. After the battle, feasts were arranged, during which they drank and ate from the skulls of freshly killed enemies.

Those of the warriors who did not kill a single enemy could not take part in the feast for lack of their dishes and watched the celebration from afar, tormented by hunger and remorse.

Upon learning of the approach of Darius Hystaspes, the Scythians sent him a frog, a bird, a mouse and an arrow.

With these unpretentious gifts, they thought to soften the heart of a formidable enemy.

But things took a completely different turn.

One of the warriors of Darius Hystaspes, who was very tired of hanging out with his master in foreign lands, undertook to interpret the true meaning of the Scythian message.

This means that if you Persians do not fly like birds, gnaw like a mouse, and jump like a frog, you will never return to your home.

Darius could neither fly nor jump. He was scared to death and ordered to turn the shafts.

Darius Hystaspes became famous not only for this campaign, but also for his equally wise rule, which he led with the same success as military enterprises.

The ancient Persians were initially distinguished by their courage and simplicity of manners. Their sons were taught three subjects:

1) to ride;

2) to shoot from a bow and

3) tell the truth.

A young man who did not pass the exam in all these three subjects was considered an ignoramus and was not accepted into the civil service.

But little by little the Persians began to indulge in a pampered way of life. They stopped riding, forgot how to shoot from a bow, and, idly spending time, cut the truth-womb. As a result, the huge Persian state began to rapidly decline.

Previously, Persian youths ate only bread and vegetables. Corrupted, they demanded soup (330 BC). Alexander the Great took advantage of this and conquered Persia.

The twenty-seventh game of the Second Team Tournament.

Members

Yakov Podolny

Alexander Altshuler

Alexey Paevsky

Yakov Podolny, pediatrician from Karmiel
Alexander Altshuler, economist from Kaliningrad
Alexey Paevsky, science journalist from Odessa

Game progress

First round

Themes:

ABC
Men and women
Flowers
Musical instruments
Islands
…tooth…

ABC (300)

In 1895, Vice Admiral Stepan Osipovich Makarov developed exactly this for the Russian fleet.

Alexander answers.
Correct answer: Semaphore alphabet

ABC (400)

The stories from his 4-volume "ABC" have been included in anthologies and primers for 140 years.

Jacob answers.
Correct answer: Lev Tolstoy

ABC (500)

Bulgakov's Sharik learned the alphabet from them. Mayakovsky admitted the same.

Jacob answers.
Correct answer: signboards

Men and women (500)

In a recent survey of British families, the word babe - "baby" took first place in this list.

Correct answer: The most disliked addresses to wives

Flowers (400)

Peruvian Moyobamba is nicknamed the city of these flowers: up to 3500 species are found in the district.

Jacob answers.
Correct answer: orchids

Flowers (500)

The national holiday sair-lola, dedicated to these flowers, is celebrated in Tajikistan at the beginning of summer.

Correct answer: tulips

Musical instruments (500)

General Evgraf Zhivago was surprised to learn that his found niece Tonya masterfully plays this instrument - just like her own grandmother, Tonya is not known.

Jacob answers.
Player response: Piano.
Correct answer: Balalaika

Islands (400)

In this novel, perhaps the largest of the vehicles born of the fantasy of Jules Verne operates.

Jacob answers.
Player response: "Floating island".
Correct answer: "Floating Island"

Islands (500)

From the shipyard built by Peter I on this island, 500 ships left for three centuries; now the island has become a district of Arkhangelsk.

Jacob answers.
Correct answer: Solombala

…tooth… (500)

The eighth and ninth Zhiguli models received this nickname for their body shape.

Alexey answers.
Correct answer: "Chisel"

Musical instruments (300)

Auction. In the autumn of 1941, according to the directive of the People's Commissariat of Defense, 60,000 of these tools were sent to the front to raise the spirit of the soldiers.

Jacob plays. Rate - 900.
Player response: drums.
Correct answer: Harmonicas

Musical instruments (400)

Initially, they were made from boiled cow or goat ribs. Nowadays, they are mainly made from solid wood.

Correct answer: Bones

…tooth… (400)

The crater shaft of this active volcano on the Kuril Island Urup form three rocks.

Alexey answers.
Correct answer: Trident

…tooth… (300)

If the actor learned the text of the role in this way, then no stage fright will bring him down.

Alexey answers.
Correct answer: by heart

Men and women (400)

In this film by François Ozon, the only man doesn't say a word; even the audience hardly sees the face.

Jacob answers.
Correct answer: "Eight Women"

Men and women (300)

According to legend, she secretly entered Caesar from her brother, ordering him to be wrapped in a precious carpet. Plutarch clarifies: not in a carpet, but in a modest bed bag.

Jacob answers.
Correct answer: Cleopatra

Islands (300)

Sculptures (500)

Cat in a bag. Subject: sculptures. The sculpture "Russia", created in 1896, is a masterpiece of Kasli casting. What 3 items are under the shield?

Played by Alexander. The bet is 500.
The player finds it difficult to answer.
Correct answer: Crown, scepter and orb

ABC (200)

At the end of 1917, the secret organization "Azbuka" was created in Kyiv to fight against Bolshevism. The letters of the alphabet served the agents in this capacity.

Alexander answers.
Correct answer: Underground nicknames

…tooth… (200)

In the Miocene, this marsupial, or tilokasmin, lived in North America.

Correct answer: Saber-toothed tiger

…tooth… (100)

The Moscow Kremlin has 1045 of these "dovetails".

Alexander answers.
Correct answer: Battlements of the wall

Flowers (300)

in the USA and Western Europe, unlike Russia, it is believed that such a bouquet brings happiness.

Alexander answers.
Correct answer: With an even number of colors

Men and women (200)

Suvorov ordered to carry this "gift", bought for his own serfs, "as they carry chickens, but very safely."

Correct answer: Brides

Musical instruments (200)

In 1712 he made a cello for the Grand Duke of Tuscany; now the American Yo-Yo Ma plays the instrument.

Alexander answers.
Correct answer: Stradivarius

Musical instruments (100)

Poets consider it their attribute, even if they don’t understand anything about music.

Alexey answers.
Correct answer: Lira

ABC (100)

Letter codes, that is, the alphabet itself, were invented by his colleague Weil, which the inventor himself denied.

Jacob answers.
Correct answer: morse

Flowers (200)

This popular song performed by actress Nina Sazonova was first heard in the TV movie "My Street".

Jacob answers.
Correct answer: "Daisies hid"

Islands (200)

The Croatian island of Galesnjak is shaped like this; No wonder it is called the "Island of Lovers".

Alexey answers.
Correct answer: Heart

Flowers (100)

Auction. In the Song of Hiawatha, the loving sighs of the south wind Shavandase destroyed this flower.

Played by Alex. The rate is 1,000.
Correct answer: Dandelion

Men and women (100)

At the beginning of the play, he was unrequitedly in love with the beautiful Rosaline, but new love turned out to be stronger.

Jacob answers.
Correct answer: Romeo

Islands (100)

The name of this island was jokingly deciphered as "Communism off the coast of America."

Alexander answers.
Correct answer: Cuba

Round result

Jacob - 1 100
Alexander - 700
Alexei - 2 500

Second round

Themes:

Bridges
fly hunting
Questions from…
Spiritual Affairs
solar system
Length

Length (600)

This Russian measure was approximately equal to the length of a human step.

Correct answer: Arshin

Length (800)

Its length must be known in order to calculate the circumference of a circle.

Alexey answers.
Correct answer: Radius

Solar system (600)

This year, asteroid number 274301 was named after this online encyclopedia.

Jacob answers.
Correct answer: Wikipedia

Bridges (800)

The Keshwa Chaka Rope Bridge over the Apurimac River is the last surviving bridge built by the inhabitants of this empire.

Alexey answers.
Correct answer: Inca

Solar system (800)

On this planet you can find the land of Lada, the plain of the Snow Maiden and even the canyon of Baba Yaga.

Alexander answers.
Correct answer: Venus

Length (1 000)

Auction. This modern competitive discipline was part of the program of the ancient Olympics. Now the record belongs to Mike Powell.

Jacob plays. Rate - 1 700.
Correct answer: Long jump

Spiritual Affairs (800)

Peter Negosh, who ruled this country at the beginning of the 19th century, was canonized Orthodox Church like Peter Tsetinsky.

Jacob answers.
Correct answer: Montenegro

Spiritual Affairs (1,000)

There is a temple "on blood" not only in St. Petersburg, but also in this Russian regional center.

Jacob answers.
Correct answer: Ekaterinburg

Fly hunting (800)

Maestro Titarenko removed him from flying, and during a German raid, without a command, he took off on a commander’s plane and shot down a Messer.

Jacob answers.
Correct answer: Grasshopper

Fly hunting (1 000)

These inhabitants South-East Asia fly up to 140 meters thanks to the fur membrane between the paws, tail and neck.

Alexey answers.
Player response: flying squirrels.
Correct answer: Wormwing

Bridges (1,000)

To remember (1 000)

Cat in a bag. Subject: To remember. The project of Turkish architects was preferred, and for 60 years Anitkabir in Ankara has been visited by millions of people, and not only Turks. What is Anitkabir?

Played by Alexander. The rate is 1,000.
Player response: National Museum.
Correct answer: Mausoleum of Ataturk

Solar system (1,000)

This space telescope, which orbited the Sun, managed to “look out” for 4 years of work more than a hundred planets outside the solar system.

Alexey answers.
Correct answer: "Keppler"

Solar system (400)

In a photograph taken by Voyager from 6 billion kilometers away, it appears as a pale blue dot.

Alexey answers.
Correct answer: Earth

Solar system (200)

After Pluto was excluded from the planets, the title of the smallest planet in the solar system passed to him.

Jacob answers.
Correct answer: Mercury

Spiritual Affairs (600)

Filipinos carry a dark-skinned statue of the Savior around the capital three times a year; According to legend, this is exactly what happened on the ship that brought the statue to Manila four centuries ago.

Correct answer: Fire

Bridges (600)

This event first took place in 1982, although it did not go on the air. WITH Soviet side 200 students, hastily gathered in Ostankino, participated.

Alexey answers.
Correct answer: Teleconference with the USA

Questions from… (200)

Questions from the makeup artist

Make-up artist Natalya Orekhova asks questions. Checking the makeup of Josephine and Daphne, the director of the film "Only Girls in Jazz", forced the actors to go to this institution and only then began filming.

Alexander answers.
Correct answer: Women's toilet

Questions from… (600)

If the lower eyelid of an actor is lightly smeared with a special pencil that looks like lipstick, then the actor will do it.

Alexey answers.
Correct answer: will cry

Questions from… (800)

In the film "Spring" Rina Zelyonaya as a make-up artist of the film studio commands: "Average plump, sexy number four!". What is she talking about?

Alexey answers.
Correct answer: Lips

Questions from… (400)

A special black lacquer helps to give the viewer the illusion that the actor does not have this.

Alexey answers.
Correct answer: Tooth

Questions from… (1,000)

Take starch, add talc, zinc oxide, chalk. What will happen?

Jacob answers.
Correct answer: Powder

Fly hunting (600)

Who flies two meters above the water and immediately flops back?

Alexey answers.
Correct answer: stingray

Bridges (200)

This is the Khimki microdistrict, and a swing bridge for entering the ship.

Jacob answers.
Correct answer: Gangway

Fly hunting (400)

According to J.K. Rowling, the Ministry of Magic has banned these " vehicles". Not otherwise frightened of the competition brooms.

Alexander answers.
Correct answer: Flying carpets

Length (400)

Alexey answers.
Correct answer: noah's ark

Spiritual affairs (200)

This archangel accompanied Muhammad during his miraculous ascension to heaven.

Jacob answers.
Correct answer: Jabrail

Bridges (400)

The people of Rotterdam have nicknamed this graceful bridge "the swan". Official name bridge to bear in honor of this famous native of the city.

Correct answer: Erasmus of Rotterdam

Spiritual Affairs (400)

According to Teffi, these ancient steps could not be taken without blasphemy: either they would crush the tail of a sacred cat, or they would poke at a sacred dog, or they would eat a holy fly in borscht ...

Jacob answers.
Correct answer: Egyptians

Round result

Jacob - 8 000
Alexander - 1 100
Alexei - 7 900

Third round

Themes:

Factories
I'm sitting behind bars
Spices
What from what
The Bears
stairs

What of what (900)

British artist Susan Stockfen put together a map of the world from this. The work took a year, you can admire it at the University of Berkfordshire.

Alexey answers.
Correct answer: Microcircuits

What of what (600)

African ugali, Romanian hominy, Italian polenta… All three porridges are made from this flour.

Jacob answers.
Correct answer: corn

I am behind bars (1,200)

Even during cold war this West Berlin prison was jointly administered by the four allied powers.

Jacob answers.
Player response: Muabit.
Correct answer: Spandau

I am behind bars (1,500)

These "innovations" introduced in the Bastille and other prisons to aggravate the suffering of prisoners, King Louis XI affectionately called "daughters."

Correct answer: iron cells

Factories (1 200)

In 1922, the Petrograd Knitting and Hosiery Factory, founded by the merchant Natus, received the order and with it this new name.

Correct answer: Red flag

Factories (1 500)

Soups (1 500)

Cat in a bag. Subject: Soups. Here are French bouillabaisse, Finnish Lohikeito, Spanish gazpacho and German bread soup. Only this soup is supposed to be cooked in a cast-iron and left for another day.

Played by Alexander. Rate - 1 500.
Player response: gazpacho.
Correct answer: lohikeyto

Bears (900)

This Pushkin hero, having got to the gypsies, began to "go around the villages with a bear", which extremely outraged the romantic Ryleev.

Alexander answers.
Correct answer: Aleko

Bears (1 200)

The “Bear Circus” created by him was filmed in the films “Arena of the Brave”, “Michelle and the Bear”, “Not all bears sleep in winter”.

Jacob answers.
Correct answer: Valentin Filatov

Bears (1 500)

These bears from an island near Alaska are taken under state protection - their numbers have declined sharply.

Jacob answers.
Correct answer: Kodiak

Stairs (1 500)

Six denominations agreed not to change anything in this temple without a common consent. So the stairs, who knows how to get on the ledge, do not touch for two centuries.

Jacob answers.
Correct answer: Church of the Holy Sepulcher

In its production, Guatemala is even ahead of its homeland - India. No wonder it is called “green gold” in Guatemala and is sold at a high price.

Correct answer: Cardamom

What of what (1 200)

Auction. On the manufacture of this in Venice went the purest sand from the Po River, or even imported from Istria.

Jacob plays. Rate - 8 800.
Player response: Yarn.
Correct answer: Glass

What from what (1 500)

From the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts every year they sent a steamer with dirty rags to England, and they received exactly this back.

Alexey answers.
Correct answer: drawing paper

Stairs (900)

In the century before last, the first in the world appeared in a New York park on Coney Island for the amusement of the public. Modern look acquired 27 years later. What are we talking about?

Christmas tree

In the century before last, this Russian ministry sent the academician of architecture Anthony Tomishko abroad. To study the prison case.

Alexey answers.
Correct answer: MIA

Stairs (600)

At the third Odessa Film Festival "Lights big city» Chaplin was shown there to the live music of the Philharmonic Orchestra.

Jacob answers.
Correct answer: On the Potemkin Stairs

Factories (600)

The Romans called the word fabrica such a small enterprise.

Correct answer: Workshops

Spices (600)

This spice is dried strips of bark.

Alexander answers.
Correct answer: Cinnamon

Spices (300)

Farmers who grow "organic food" spray hot pepper infusion for this purpose.

Alexander answers.
Correct answer: For pest control instead of conventional insecticides

Bears (300)

This species, separated from the brown bear, is now the "youngest".

Jacob answers.
Player response: Grizzly.
Correct answer: Polar bear

I'm behind bars (300)

The son of Marina Tsvetaeva Georgy Efron in his diary calls this institution, where both his father and sister were "Bottles".

Alexander answers.
Correct answer: Butyrskaya prison

What of what (300)

At the Winter Smile festival in Arkhangelsk region the local team not only built a stove out of this, but also managed to flood it.

Alexey answers.
Correct answer: Snow

Stairs (300)

The image of the progenitor of just such a staircase was found in one of the caves of Valencia. The drawing is about 100 centuries old.

Alexander answers.
Correct answer: Ladder

Round result

Jacob - 1 800
Alexander - 2 000
Alexei - 11 200

Final round

Subject: Around the music

Tchaikovsky dedicated a trio for piano, violin and cello to his memory. And in Great Hall conservatory, his portrait occupies a central position above the stage. What are we talking about?

Jacob's answer: Nikolai Rubinstein
Rate - 600.

Alexander's answer: Cui
The rate is 2,000.

Alexey's answer: Beethoven
The rate is 1,000.

Correct answer: Nikolai Rubinstein

Outcome of the game

Jacob - 2 400
Alexander - 0
Alexei - 10 200

Aleksey Paevsky is declared the winner of the game. The Ukrainian team advances to the final games.

Nadezhda Alexandrovna Teffi is a well-known humorous writer of the Silver Age. From the first issue of the issue (that is, from April 1908) she became an active contributor to the humorous magazine Satyricon, in which such masters of laughter as Arkady Averchenko, Arkady Bukhov, Sasha Cherny and others also successfully worked. If Averchenko was called the “king” of the Satyricon, then Teffi was rightfully considered the real “queen” of this publication. Male colleagues found in her an outstanding talent and willingly collaborated with the lady. Among the “inventions” of the humorists of the popular magazine is the “General History, processed by the Satyricon”. Its authors were Arkady Averchenko, Osip Dymov, Iosif Orsher, Teffi. The purpose of the article is to analyze the introductory part of the book called "Ancient History", which was written by Nadezhda Aleksandrovna Teffi. In it, the comedian talks about countries ancient east(Egypt, Assyria, etc.), about their rulers and people, as well as about the most important events, historical figures (about Solon, Polycrates, Herostratus, Pericles, Socrates, etc.) and the traditions of Greece and Rome (about King Pyrrhus, Punic wars, Cicero, Julius Caesar, about Roman life and culture, military art, religious institutions, philosophical schools, about raising children, literature and much more). She offers her own interpretation of events, but in fact she simply ridicules (practically without distorting the facts), the textbook by D. Ilovaisky “ Ancient history. Senior course. D. Nikolaev, a researcher of the work of humorists of the early twentieth century, writes: “Recognizing the authority of the scientist and the prominent role of his works, critics argued that he does not take into account the latest historical discoveries that the texts are overloaded with small details and "doubtful" legends, demanded that the textbooks be "raised" to the level of the current state of science. So, as we can see, many were not satisfied with the near-scientific works of the scientist. Recall that the textbooks of this Russian historian and publicist were reprinted many times in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and were recommended by the Academic Committee under the Ministry of Public Education. Perhaps Teffi herself studied from them. Due to the fact that the historian, when writing his books, paid more attention to legends and tales than to facts, the writer, parodying him, could think of something of her own. In the comments to N. Teffi's book "Humorous Stories" one can find excerpts from the works of D. Ilovaisky: "The climate here is more severe than in other parts of Greece: almost tropical heat in summer, and rather cold in winter. The soil is very fertile in places, but generally requires considerable labor for its cultivation. Such conditions should contribute to the development of rigidity and energy in the very character of the inhabitants. Taffy quotes an almost exact quote from a scientific work, but now it looks rather funny: “It was hot in Laconia in summer, cold in winter. This climate system, unusual for other countries, according to historians, contributed to the development of rigidity and energy in the character of the inhabitants. Thus, the banal phrases of the historian turn into an auto-parody of scholarly work. And the final part of "Ancient History" contains samples of oral questions and written tasks for repeating Ancient History. Decorated with great humor, ironic questions further emphasize the similarity with the object of parody. Here are some of them: "Draw a parallel between the suitors of Penelope and the First Punic War", "Speak several times succinctly without prejudice to one's own personality (exercise)". Composing such “tasks”, the writer, ironically, emphasizes the futility of such meaningless exercises in Ilovaisky’s textbooks. Also in Ancient History, Teffi plays up the name of the Satyricon magazine: “One noble nobleman named Petronius made a ridiculous attempt to publish in Rome (it’s even difficult believe it!) SATYRICON! The madman imagined that this magazine could be as successful in the 1st century A.D. as in the 20th A.D. and education, and endurance of character, but, despite all this, he could not wait for 20 centuries. He went bankrupt with his untimely undertaking and, having satisfied his subscribers, died, moreover, he bled from his veins to his friends. “SATYRICON will wait for the most worthy” - were the last words of the great seer. The mischievous irony of these lines inspired confidence in the long life of the magazine. And so it happened: "Satyricon" lasted 10 years. During this time, almost 600 issues were published. In our opinion, even without knowing the content of the parodied textbooks on the history of D. I. Ilovaisky, reading “The General History ...” is interesting, and most importantly, funny. For example, Teffi, who loved to decorate her humorous works with proverbs and sayings, does not deviate from her preferences here either. Against the background of a supposedly scientific text, the exclamation of the Epirus king Pyrrhus sounds comical: “What an honor when there is nothing to eat!” . And in the preface, the humorist writes: “The ancient peoples are divided by skin color into black, white and yellow. The whites, in turn, are divided into: Aryans, descended from Noah's son Japhet and named so that it was not immediately possible to guess who they came from; Semites - or those who do not have the right to reside, Ihamites, people who are not accepted in a decent society. Here the comedian is punning, using the similarity of the words "Khamites" (a group of nationalities North Africa speaking Hamitic languages close to each other) and “ham” (a rude, arrogant, ill-mannered person). Apparently, the writer succumbed to the general cheerful mood of the co-authors-satiricists. For example, in the chapter on the Persians, Teffi creates a grotesque description of the brutal appetite of Cambyses (one of the kings of Persia), who "went to fight the Ethiopians, went into the desert and there, suffering greatly from hunger, ate little by little his entire army" . And then “at the sight of this healthy, fattened bull, the king, emaciated on human flesh, rushed at him and pinned him with his own hand, and at the same time his brother Smerdiz, who was spinning under his feet.” The further development of events is brought by the writer to the point of absurdity: “At this time, King Cambyses, completely obsessed with beef, died from a wound that he inflicted on himself, wanting to taste his own meat.” Obviously, to create a humorous effect, she willingly uses humorous techniques more characteristic of other satyricists (for example, A. Averchenko). But, having agreed to write a collective parody, it is noticeable that Teffi "adapts", and very successfully, to his fellow comedians. And although the genre of parody was not peculiar to the comedian, she coped with the task perfectly. Of course, one should not forget that “The General History, processed by the“ Satyricon ”was released in 1911, one might say, at the very beginning of Nadezhda Alexandrovna’s“ satyricon ”career. During this period, the development of the individual style of the humorist took place, because only in 1910 the first book of the writer's Humorous Stories was published. Naturally, the influence of colleagues had a certain impact on Teffi's writing style. But it is already possible to notice certain developed stylistic devices that Nadezhda Alexandrovna will safely use in her future work. For example, a punning play on words: "Penelope weaved during the day, at night she flogged what was woven, and at the same time her son Telemachus." Here, to create a comic effect, a dual interpretation of the words is used: flog the woven (tear) and flog the child (punish, flog). And in the following chapters of the book, Teffi continues to pun: "King Xerxes, the successor of Darius Hystaps, went to the Greeks with a myriad (they still did not know how to make a preliminary estimate) army"; “But ten days later there was a characteristic crack. This broke the patience of Mardonius (479 BC), and he began the battle and was defeated utterly and on other parts of the body ”; “Having reached the Rubicon River, Julius fiddled for a long time .. ." etc. And thanks to the effect of deceived expectations, the author evokes, if not laughter, then a smile from the reader: “This story ended tragically: Odysseus returned.” Also in the text there are countless paradoxes that enhance the comic effect of the parodic work. Here are just a few of them: “In continuous military enterprises, he lost his eyes, chest, side, arms, legs and throat. Often difficult situations made him lose his head, so that the brave warrior remained completely light and ruled the people with the help of one abdominal barrier, which, however, could not stop his energy ”; "He fell into excess and died much earlier than his death"; “The lady ordered you to say that they were dead,” etc. Often the authors “ General History..." and there was no need to remake the texts of the historian, as they were ambiguous and pseudo-scientific. Embellishing historical facts with legends and his own conjectures, the scientist lost the trust of the reader, in the eyes of a thoughtful person he seemed like an absurd storyteller. How critics of different times responded to the publication of the "General History", we can see from their reviews. Sergei Knyazev writes: “It is clear that the figure of D. Ilovaisky, who was associated with the most heinous phenomena of Russian life at that time, could not but arouse disgust among the authors of the Satyricon and those readers who shared their political, social and aesthetic position. At the same time, direct criticism of his views and activities by the satyricists would have been direct political satire, which was hardly possible in those years. Not being able to directly express their attitude to the ideas of Ilovaisky, the satyricists went through his textbooks. Thus, it is logical to assume that the “General History, processed by the “Satyricon”” was for the satyriconists another attempt to be “as modern and topical as possible”, and it would be completely wrong to conduct this artistic experience along the line of “pure humor”. Rather, it was a continuation of satire - by other means. D. Nikolaev writes: “The unexpected interest of the authors of the book - N. Teffi, O. Dymov, A. Averchenko, O. D'Or - to the past was surprising, because the satyriconists always tried to be as modern as possible. Moreover, unlike his great predecessors - A. Pushkin (“History of the village of Goryukhin”), M. Saltykov-Shchedrin (“History of one city”), A. Tolstoy (“History of the Russian state from Gostomysl to Timashev”), they create a work not satirical, but humorous. So, we see radically opposite opinions of critics about the book (modern / interest in the past; satirical / humorous), which indicates a discrepancy in the unexpected interpretation of the satyricists of the works of D. Ilovaisky. If we talk about the “General History.” In general, it should be noted that the language of presentation of parodic texts by different writers practically does not differ. After reading a book, it is sometimes impossible to immediately determine who is the author of a particular humorous fragment. Sometimes you might think that the book was written by the same person. In our opinion, such “interchangeability”, to a greater or lesser extent, is due to the fact that, in addition to similar style, the authors use the same techniques for creating comic: different kinds exaggerations, unexpected comparisons of heterogeneous phenomena, a discrepancy between form and content, etc. Of course, this book was very popular at one time, since D. Ilovaisky's historical excursions were fresh in the memory of his contemporaries. Although, without reading the source texts, it is not always possible to capture the essence of the parodied ideas. But, we agree with Sergey Knyazev, who stated: “For a comic effect, the context, as you know, is more important than the text, which is why humor, not to mention satire, quickly becomes obsolete. Nevertheless, the “General History, processed by the Satyricon”, is already entering the second century of its existence. Ilovaisky has been gone for a long time, his works remained in the archives, the object of parody has not been relevant for a long time, but the parody itself lives on. Which once again confirms the maxim attributed to the famous British wit Bernard Shaw: “A person who writes about himself and his time is the only one who writes about all people and all times.” In Ancient History, Teffi achieves a humorous effect by intertwining historical facts with life realities of the early twentieth century. The writer laughs heartily, mixing the events of ancient history with the present. The irony of the author is clearly heard, which was not very typical for the humorist's style. Indeed, unlike Arkady Averchenko, who was prone to fantasizing, Nadezhda Alexandrovna, who wrote everyday stories about people, was more of a realist. The creation of the “General History” allowed her to appear as a parodist and, thanks to this, to use such techniques of creating the comic, unusual for her texts, as the grotesque, allusions, etc. Teffi’s irony is often traced, which is hidden behind a specially veiled naivety. retelling historical events modern language also serves a specific purpose. At the same time, we must not forget that the humorist parodies the historical works of Ilovaisky, who, according to modern critics, are “very simple, not to say primitive, and often clumsy in language, rather ingenuous in presentation and, of course, cannot be compared with the works of brilliant stylists Karamzin, Klyuchevsky, Sergei Solovyov ". The further perspective of the research is seen in the study and analysis of the full text of all the authors of the" General History, processed by "Satyricon". Literature1. General history processed by the Satyricon. - St. Petersburg. : ABC Classics, 2008. - 320 p. 2. Knyazev S. Continuation of satire by other means / Sergey Knyazev // General history, processed by the "Satyricon". - St. Petersburg: ABC Classics, 2008. - P. 5 - 12. Nikolaev D. The pearl of Russian humor / Dmitry Nikolaev // Teffi N. A. Humorous stories; From the “General History, processed by the Satyricon”. - M.: Artist. lit., 1990. - S. 3-18. Teffi N. A. Humorous stories; From the “General History, processed by the Satyricon” / Intro. article, comp., prepared. text, comments D. D. Nikolaev. - M.: Artist. lit., 1990. - 415 pp. Popkov Yu. V. “Ancient history”, as it was shaped by N. O. Tefі. Vaughn was written by the brilliant humorist N. O. Tefi and may be called "Old History". Nadiya Oleksandrivna created a miraculous parody of the assistants of the historian Ilovaisky (they didn’t rule the bagats, because there were a lot of legends and tales and few scientific facts), practically without twisting the texts of the scientist. Yu. V. "Ancient history", processed by N. A. Teffi. The article discusses the introductory part of the book "General History, processed by the "Satyricon". It is written by the brilliant humorist N. A. Taffy and is called Ancient History. Nadezhda Alexandrovna created a magnificent parody of the textbooks of the historian Ilovaisky (which did not suit many, because there were many legends and tales and few scientifically confirmed facts), practically without distorting the texts of the scientist.Key words: author, humorist, irony, history, parody.Popkova Yu. V. “Ancient History” remade by N. A. Teffy. Nadezhda Alexandrovna created a wonderful parody of the books by the historian Ilovaisky (the books did not please many people because they contained a lot of legends and tales, but a few scientifically proven facts) and practically did not distort his words. Key words: author, humourist, irony, history, parody.