The dissemination of divination in roman republican times

Chapter 9 - Signa impetrativa
In this chapter we will review all known impetrative divination practices in Roman
republican times. They can be grouped into five types: auspices, sortition, extispicy, Sibylline
books and miscellaneous. They all have subgroups of different practices.
Auspices
Auspices are in principle the observation of birds, but also more generally animals or the sky.
There are several different sub-types labeled augurium, auspicium, auspicium ex tripudio and
various other types.
Augurium
Augurium, or more often inauguratio, is a special case of auspicium used by augurs to
inaugurate objects, persons or places. The technique is observation of the behavior of birds
by an augur.
Technique The only persons able to perform an inauguratio were inaugurated members of
the augural college, that is, augurs (Catalano 1960: 220-246). The purposes of the
inauguratio could differ. It is possible to distinguish between the inauguration of ceremonies,
persons and places (Linderski 1986: 2222). We do not know much about the inauguration of
ceremonies, as only a few are known. 107 We do, however, know that the augur had to be
present at the ceremony (Gel.4.6.10). The inauguration of a person to a priesthood required a
nomination 108 and the presence of the nominee and the augur. 109 When a place was to be
inaugurated, many other rituals had to be performed as well. 110
107 The augurium or sacrificium canarium, the augurium salutis the feriae pracidanea and a few others (cf.
Catalano 1960: 335-356)
108 The precise formalities differed for the different priesthoods, some used cooption some voting and others
sortition. These procedures also changed during republican times. For a good overview of the different
priesthoods, see (Beard 1990). For the Flamens see (Vanggaard 1988)
109
It is possible that all public priests were inaugurated, but we know for sure that the following were:
Flamen Dialis, Flamen Divi Iulii, Flamen Martialis, Flamen Quirinalis, Rex Sacrorum, the Pontifices, the
Augures and the Salii (Catalano 1960: 212)
110 This is referred to as liberare and effare (e.g. Cic.Leg.2.8.21). This entailed sacrifices, invocations, and
prayers. For a thorough treatment of the details of these ritual actions, see (Catalano 1960: 281-291; Valeton
1892).
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