The dissemination of divination in roman republican times

Utility and Credibility value The auspicium ex tripudio was able to give a positive or a
negative sign regarding some future action. It was used in the military camp primarily to
receive answer regarding an intended attack of the army or fleet (e.g. Liv.38.26.1). It also
seems to have been used by soldiers, who wanted to make a will before battle. Unfortunately
we know almost nothing about this (Mommsen 1952: 84, n.5; Valeton 1890: 213). Since the
future success of some of the ancient world's greatest armies and fleets depended on the
auspicium ex tripudio, the credibility value must be said to be very high.
History It was not regarded by the Romans as being as old as the auspicium ex avibus and
ex caelo (Cic.Div.2.73). It could originally have developed from an oblative practice of
looking at how animals ate (Valeton 1890: 211-215; Wissowa 1896). It is attested for the
years 293 and 249. According to Cicero even the oldest augurs knew of the auspicium ex
tripudio although it was in a different form where any type of bird could be used. Cicero was
at the time of writing this himself an augur and had access to old decrees. It is therefore
reasonable to assume that the auspicium ex tripudio had a long history and had at some point
in time been changed and adapted to use solely in the army. That could have been in the
wake of Roman expansion as is evidenced from the use in the Samnite war and Punic war.
Another fact seems to support this assumption: the auspicium ex tripudio could be taken by
people not of consular rank. It is therefore probable that it had great utility in a context where
wars began to be conducted by persons not of consular rank.
Cultural model The use is conceptualized as an interrogation of Jupiter about the outcome
of an intended attack. The achievement of an auspicium solistimum resulted in a prognosis of
success; the failure to obtain this sign was a prognosis of failure.
Other kinds of auspicium
We know of a few other kinds of auspices, but unfortunately not to a degree of detail that
allows us to make any wide reaching conclusions. In the following I will report what is
known about these.
Auspicium peremne
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