Abstract: The issues of family and marriage relations have traditionally been of concern to historians and politicians since ancient times. In this regard, the unusual circumstances of the marriage of the sole heir of the Seleucid empire, Antiochus, and his stepmother Stratonica could not remain without the attention of ancient authors who tried to rationally explain this event. The purpose of this work is to study one incident from the life of the Seleucid queen Stratonica, compare different versions in the sources and clarify the factors that influenced the historical and literary tradition about her. The identification of two aspects within which the plot of the marriage of Antiochus and Stratonica should be considered will allow changing modern ideas about the exclusively political nature of this decision of Seleucus Nicator. The researсh used traditional methods for ancient history: comparative historical, comparative genetic, retrospective. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that the authors examined the legend not only from the point of view of its content, but also the form of presentation of the material in the context of politics and religion of the early Seleucids. This approach allowed us to assert that during their reign, the historical myth of Seleucus and his family began to form, into which the incident with the queen's second marriage organically fit. As a result of the study, the authors conclude that the legend of Antiochus's infatuation with Stratonica was artificially created at the royal court, it strengthened the political image of the dynasty with the help of religious symbols and external similarities with the policy of "merging peoples" of Alexander the Great. At the same time, it was the interrelationship of the political and religious aspects that influenced the form and content of this legend.

Abstract: The subject of the study is the process of teaching Oriental disciplines at a classical university. The aim of the authors was to generalize the accumulated experience and identify the components of the effectiveness of the preparation of bachelors of history. Under the conditions of sanctions, a special military operation, and the turn of Russian foreign policy to the East, there is a growing need for personnel who understand the past and present development of the states of the Afro-Asian region. Meanwhile, scientific developments devoted to the effectiveness of teaching history and the current state of Asian and African countries are clearly insufficient, which is the scientific relevance and novelty of the proposed article. The research methods were general philosophical methods of analysis, synthesis, systematization of materials, observation methods for obtaining student reflection, survey, methods of working with statistical data. In the course of the study, the main components of the effectiveness of teaching Oriental disciplines were identified: the motivation of students that persists throughout the learning process; the continuity of courses and the development of interdisciplinary connections; high-quality educational and methodological support of the educational process; monitoring and diagnosis of academic performance achieved through close cooperation and interaction of Oriental teachers. This joint work, firstly, makes it possible to subordinate the educational process to the common goals and objectives of learning, to take into account the age and psychological and pedagogical characteristics of students, to form universal and general professional competencies at different levels. Secondly, it ensures good academic performance of students, the formation of a holistic picture of the history of Asian and African countries from antiquity to the present, maintains students' interest in the region throughout the entire period of study. Thirdly, it promotes constructive cooperation, exchange of teaching experience, joint scientific developments and their use in the educational process, which can be successfully demanded when organizing the educational process in other universities.

Abstract: The object of this research is to study the organization of the educational process using active and interactive methods. The relevance of the topic is determined by the insufficient number of theoretical developments, research on the organization of interaction of these methods in a remote format. The purpose of this article was to clarify the features of the use of active and interactive methods in the conditions of distance learning and to present their own teaching methodology, the essence of which is the continuity and variability of the use of active and interactive teaching methods throughout the educational process by different teachers. The research methods are general philosophical methods of analysis and synthesis, as well as the method of systematization of materials, since the authors used various forms of classes, analyzed their effectiveness in terms of assimilation of the material and selected the most valuable options. In addition, the observation method and the survey method were used to obtain student reflection on the classes conducted. The novelty of the work lies in the development and implementation of the author's methodology for teaching Oriental disciplines in a classical university based on the continuity of courses and interdisciplinary interaction, which can be used both in full-time and in distance format.
The cooperation of teachers of Oriental disciplines of IMOMI N.I. Lobachevsky State University is aimed at developing and achieving common goals, creating didactic and psychological conditions in which a student can show not only intellectual and cognitive activity, but also a personal social position, his individuality, express himself as a subject of learning. At the same time, teachers of Oriental disciplines carry out the continuity of courses not only from the point of view of the content of the material, but also from the point of view of the choice of teaching methods. The presented experience may be useful to teachers of other universities.

Abstract: As part of their policy aimed at creating a strong Hellenistic Egypt, the Ptolemies created and maintained the syncretic cult of Sarapis. Ancient sources have preserved several beautiful stories and legends about the appearance of this god and his cult in Egypt. The purpose of this work is to clarify the political role of this cult in Egypt, the peculiarities of its perception by different segments of the population, which ultimately influenced the change in the Ptolemaic policy towards the local population. The main research methods are both general philosophical methods – analysis and synthesis, and special – comparative-historical and comparative-genetic methods.   In the modern world, there are a large number of countries (including Russia) in which different peoples live, having different traditions and beliefs. The study of the Egyptian version of the policy of "merging peoples" and the cult of Sarapis, as one of its components, helps to understand what factors should be avoided in an attempt to smooth out contradictions and create a strong interethnic association, which determines the relevance and novelty of the study. According to the creators, the cult of Sarapis should have been understandable and close to both Greeks and Egyptians. Therefore, the image of God, traditions and rituals included Greek and Egyptian elements, which was supposed to bring the population closer together on the basis of worship of this god and contribute to strengthening the central government. But in reality it turned out that in Egypt itself the cult of Sarapis did not become popular with either the Hellenes or the local population. The policy of uniting different ethnic groups on the basis of the religious factor without carrying out the same policy of rapprochement in other spheres (military, administrative, etc.) was doomed to failure.

Abstract: The interest in the Seleucid empire and the problems of organizing the political space in the Hellenistic East has recently been due to a methodological turn in the historiography of the Hellenistic era. These changes actualized the study of the role of Babylonia in the empire of the first Seleucids according to narrative and epigraphic sources. The satrapy appears in them as the region where the political career of Diadochus and the founder of the Seleucus dynasty began after the death of Alexander the Great. It was here that his power was most entrenched, apparently supported by local priestly elites. Although the question of the political center of the Seleucid state has been considered in historiography, however, it has not received systematic study. The scientific novelty lies in the study of the early Seleucid state and the peculiarities of the eastern policy of the first Seleucids in the imperial context. The methodological basis is the methods used to study imperial and multicultural spaces, as well as general scientific philosophical and historical methods. The study of the legendary information about Seleucus revealed frequent references to Babylonia in predictions of his future power, which should be perceived as a vaticinium ex eventu. This indicates the ideological and "mythological" significance of the image of Babylonia for the Seleucids, which can be explained both by the strategic and economic role of the region and its significance in Alexander's policy, which can be interpreted as a manifestation of "imitatio Alexandri".

Abstract: One of the famous women of ancient history – Olympias, the mother of Alexander the Great – is represented in the sources as a cruel, vindictive and domineering woman. Traditionally, it is believed that the formation of such an image was influenced by the peculiarities of the sources: the non-Greek origin of the authors, the writing of works in later times, misunderstanding of Macedonian customs and mores. The purpose of this work is to consider some well-known facts from the life of the Olympiad in a mythological context. Highlighting the characteristic features that influenced the image of this famous queen that has developed in historiography will allow us to change modern ideas about her. The study used traditional methods and approaches for ancient history. The principle of historicism is necessary for understanding cause-and-effect relationships, the principle of consistency is important for systematization of preserved data about this queen. The general philosophical methods of analysis and synthesis are supplemented by special ones: comparative historical, the method of retrospection. The novelty of this research lies in the author's attempt to show the influence of mythological images and symbols on Hellenistic historiography and highlight the rationalistic constructions of ancient authors. As a result of the research, the author concludes that the image of the Olympiad, which has become entrenched in historiography, was influenced not only by the negative attitude of ancient historians towards it, but also by their attempts to rationally explain events based on knowledge of the consequences. However, the mythological consciousness also left its mark on their work. The life of Alexander the Great was overgrown with myths, and all the people close to him also fell into the sphere of mythological representations. Therefore, in the sources, the image of the queen is not just greatly distorted, but is endowed with symbolic characteristics characteristic of myths.

Abstract: The persona of the Macedonian King Philip II continues to stir controversy among researchers. The goal of this article is lies in examination of the problems and contradictions associated with the circumstances of accession to the throne of Philip II of Macedon (360/359-336 BC). Separate attention is given to the discussions on his captivity in Thebes and Illyria, as well as their impact upon Philip's future policy. The author considers the problem of regency and interrelated system of Macedonian succession to the throne. The scientific novelty lies in comprehensive analysis of the sources that describe the initial period of the reign of Philip II of Macedon. The conclusion is made that in his youth years, Philip was being held in captive not only in Thebes, but in Illyria as well. The authors believe that the beginning of the reign of Philip II of Macedon, which is traditionally considered in historiography as 359 BC, should be replaced with 360 BC. Moreover, the complicated international situation alongside domestic instability should have influenced the proclamation of Philip II as king without a regency period.