The work of the Roman writer Aulus Gellius (2nd century) “Attic Nights” - one of the largest works of ancient Roman literature known to us - is a collection of small essays of different themes, distinguished by a truly encyclopedic coverage of information about various aspects of the life and science of its time. The author touches on issues of literature and grammar, rhetoric and philosophy, law and history, physics and mathematics, natural science and medicine. Skillfully using the principle of combining instruction with entertainment, widespread in his time, Aulus Gellius - a very demanding stylist - can equally interestingly and gracefully present to the reader both stories about various outlandish things and very specific things - such as problems of Greek and Roman phonetics or subtleties interpretation of Roman law. The work of Aulus Gellius is not only a fascinating and useful read, immersing the modern reader in the most diverse areas of ancient culture, but also a valuable historical source: “Attic Nights” contains extracts from more than 250 ancient authors, including a huge number of quotations from the monuments of ancient literature of an earlier period that have not reached us. This publication is the first complete modern Russian translation of the work of Aulus Gellius, equipped with extensive commentaries and intended for both specialists and a wide range of readers interested in ancient history and culture.