The book is dedicated to one of the most pressing problems of our time - the problem of ethnogenesis, which is closely connected with political history. Over the last two centuries, many theories have been created and many definitions have been given. However, the essence of the phenomenon of “ethnicity” could not be comprehended. For ethnic identification, it does not matter where a person was born and who his parents were. It is important - in what ethnic environment the formation of a particular personality took place. Ethnicity is given to a person at an early age without his conscious choice, once and for all. A person can change country, citizenship, language, religion, but ethnicity - not; parents are not chosen, neither is ethnicity...For readers who are interested in the problems of ancient and modern history.