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Haruspicy, or extispicy, consisted of reading the future from the entrails of sacrificed dead animals. The seer would look at the color, shape, texture, and size of the viscera, and foretell the future.
The color and consistency of the membrane, or caul, covering a newborn baby’s head was a way to tell the future. Purple or red was what they looked for as a sign of good luck. Dull-colored cauls were a bad omen.
Marks on the side of the nose had different interpretations, depending on whether they were on men or women. For a man, this meant he'd become a traveler. Bizarrely, the same mark on a woman meant that she would have smelly feet.
Men and women with a marks on their lips were condemned to be ‘overeaters’. As for those with a mark on their hand, they could expect lots of children!
These rites were performed in temples called Necromanteion, where the door to Hades (underworld) was believed to exist. Pictured is the Necromanteion of Acheron.
Using the dead to predict the future goes back to the dawn of civilization. The ancient Greeks used a rite known as ‘nekyia’ to invoke the dead and question them about the future.
For instance, truth-seekers would go to the shrine of Hermes Agoraios, ask a question, and then leave the site with their ears covered. They’d then listen out for the first words anyone would say on the street and take that as the answer.
Cledonomancy, or cledonism, was about foretelling the future based on the overhearing of words and chance events.
The ancient Greeks practiced divination through smoke. A common practice involved sacrificing an animal, then burning it and observing the smoke.
For better or for worse, birthmarks have had multiple interpretations in different cultures. ancient Greeks were no different. They believed for instance that a mark on the forehead was the sign of a ruler.
Another method called for a piece of bread to be thrown into a pool. Then a “yes or no” question would be asked to a god/goddess. If the bread sank it was a yes, but if it floated, this was interpreted as a no.
The ancient Greeks were big fans of using water for divination. One popular method included throwing a pebble into a body of water. Then the ripples and flow would be observed and interpreted.
Legend has it that Emperor Didius Julianus (pictured) used a mirror to predict the outcome of a battle. A young boy was brought to read the mirror and he saw the triumph of Severus over Julianus. This prediction was correct.
Source: (History)
Scrying is a popular method of divination and fortune-telling, and the ancient Romans liked to use it with mirrors, also known as catoptromancy. The Roman priests who used catoptromancy were called specularii.
A perfect circle, for instance, would indicate a wedding. On the other hand, an irregular shape was a sign of looming danger.
Eggs would also be used to predict the sex of a baby. Legend has it that Empress Livia Drusilla incubated a chicken egg between her breasts and when it hatched, the chick was male. So was her son when he was born.
Eggs are a popular form of divination in many cultures, and oomancy was really popular in Ancient Rome. The method consisted of dropping an egg white into boiling water and predicting the future based on the shapes it formed.
The day of the week the storm occurred also had a special meaning. For instance, thunder on a Sunday meant a priest or scholar would die. If it occurred on a Monday, a woman would die. Wednesdays and Thursdays signaled the death of beggars.
The method consisted of opening the chest while the person was still alive and then removing the organs in a particular order. The shape and color of each organ, as well as the way the victim bled and screamed, would be interpreted as omens. Third-century emperor Elagabalus was said to be a fan of anthropomancy.
Divination by observing thunder and thunderstorms is known as brontomancy. The ancient Romans were big fans of it. During thunderstorms, the augurs (Roman priests) would look up and read the sky for signs of good luck (thunder in the left part of the sky) and signs of bad luck (thunder observed on the right).
The color, smell, and taste of urine was yet another way ancient Romans had to foretell the future. Urine was, in fact, a common way to tell the future across the ancient world.
The haruspex was also tasked with an even more sinister form of divination, called anthropomancy. This one involved the same method, but instead of an animal, a human would be sacrificed.
Roman commander Claudius Pulcher (in)famously did the chicken test while preparing to battle the Carthaginians off the coast of Sicily in 249 BCE. The chickens were hesitant to come out and he ended up throwing them overboard in anger. The Carthaginians ended up winning the battle.
Now it's time to travel back to Ancient Rome. How did some Romans prepare for battle? By using chickens. Not training with them, of course, but by using them to predict the outcome of upcoming battles.
Like in Ancient Greece, Romans also used animals for divination. A haruspex was the person responsible for the form of divination called haruspicy.
Another method to predict the future was to create a sort of Ouija board by drawing a circle with letters and placing grain on each one of them. A message would be “written” by the chickens as they pecked the grain.
A slim plume of smoke was good news, whereas billowing smoke would mean misfortune. If the smoke hit the ground, then this was a sign something catastrophic was about to happen.
On a Friday, it was a bad omen for generals and statesmen. And if there was thunder on a Saturday it meant that a threat such as famine or plague was on its way.
The Romans would take their sacred chickens with them all around the world. The method employed included scattering some grains and then releasing the chickens and watching what they did. If they rushed and ate the grains, then it would mean victory. If the chickens were reluctant to come out, the Romans would back out of the battle.
Ancient Greece and Rome were among the most influential societies of Antiquity. So much so, that we've inherited a number of things from both Greeks and Romans. Some of the divination methods used by these civilizations are now part of ancient history, however, where they rightfully belong. Surprisingly, some are still practiced to this day.
In this gallery, we travel back a few thousand years to bring you the bizarre ways ancient Greeks and Romans predicted the future. Click on to learn all about them.
Bizarre ways ancient Greeks and Romans predicted the future
From chicken oracles to urine
LIFESTYLE History
Ancient Greece and Rome were among the most influential societies of Antiquity. So much so, that we've inherited a number of things from both Greeks and Romans. Some of the divination methods used by these civilizations are now part of ancient history, however, where they rightfully belong. Surprisingly, some are still practiced to this day.
In this gallery, we travel back a few thousand years to bring you the bizarre ways ancient Greeks and Romans predicted the future. Click on to learn all about them.