The dissemination of divination in roman republican times

answer. In oblative divination the information is derived from the current concern of the
addressee and the character of the sign. It likewise follows the principle of relevance.
Subsequently an assessment of the credibility of the answer follows. This is done in two
stages. The first stage follows a perception of indices of prestige of the proximate
communicator. In impetrative divination this will usually be the interpreter, but if the
questioner himself interprets the sign, the proximate communicator will be represented as the
operator. In oblative divination the proximate communicator will be the interpreter. This is
what we identified as direct prestige. The second stage of the identification of credibility is
the perception of indices of the prestige of the ultimate communicator, i.e. the
counterintuitive agent. This probably depends on memory, for example the size and
frequency of sacrifices usually offered to the counterintuitive agent or the established
hierarchy of the gods. This last stage naturally only applies when there is a perception of a
named counterintuitive agent. The product of these phases is an answer and a representation
of the credibility of this answer. Note that the content of the answer and the credibility of the
answer depend on different processes. The answer varies with each question, while the
credibility varies with the interpreter and counterintuitive agent.
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