The dissemination of divination in roman republican times

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Indirect prestige We know of sortition associated with Fortuna Primigenia (CIL.14.2989) and Venus Erucina (CIL.6.2274). Possibly Geryon as well (CIL.1.1438-1454), but this was in connection with established shrines (which will be treated under sortition oracles). Some associate sortition with Fortuna in general (Sen.Q Nat.6.14.1f) or the gods (Pl.Cas.416-418). Utility and Credibility value Private sortition could be used to predict the future life of a child (Hor.S.1.9.30ff), or in case of a crisis such as disease (Fest.150 L). The credibility value is low since the potential use of resources is lower than that of the public versions. Also private sortition is explicitly denounced by the elite (Cic.Div.1.132). 147 History Since it is attested around 200 BCE in Plautus’ works and still in the late republic and during the principate, there are probably no changes in the use and spread of it in the period under consideration. Cultural model Festus writes that sortition is the response of the gods (Fest.380 L). The testimony from Plautus shows that it is understood along the same model as omens. The positive outcome of the sortition is correlated to the pietas of the “winner”; thus, success follows from pietas and sortition is the sign that it is so (see further in chapter 10). Sortition oracles The Romans did not have possession oracles like the Greeks (Latte 1939). Instead they employed sortition to communicate with the oracles. The most famous and well attested in our sources is the Fortuna oracle in Praeneste. Here a boy drew an inscribed lot from the urn and subsequently a sortilegus interpreted it. Technique The technique resembles the technique used in private and public sortition. Lots engraved with archaic letters 148 were put in an urn (arca) made of olive wood. A child 147 In this passage Quintus makes clear that he does not believe in sortilegi. This should be seen in connection with the fact that Quintus in the dialogue is the one defending divination. 148 It seems to have been different what was written on the tablets. We have some archaeological evidence in 17 bronze lots (CIL.1.1438-1454) probably from a shrine of Geryon near Patavium (cf. Pease 1963: 73). The lots were inscribed with verses and the rhythm resembled the hexameter used by the first Latin historian Ennius (cf. Bouché-Leclercq 1879: IV, 155). The content was some kind of bon-mots: Corrigi vix tandem quod curvum est factum credere (straighten finally what you think has been bent), Homines multi sunt, 164
shuffled the lots and drew one 149 (Cic.Div. 2.85-86). Subsequently a sortilegus probably interpreted the lot for the consultants (Champeaux 1982: 71). Ritualization The ritualization comes about in that a question is posed either explicitly or implicitly and a lot is drawn blindly from an urn. This lot is considered the answer to that question. The randomization entailed by the procedure creates a deficiency in the intentional structure since no intention determines the outcome. Consequently, a counterintuitive agent is inferred; the counterintuitive agent of the oracle. The ritualization is further emphasized in the sortition oracles in that it is a child who carries out the drawing of the lot. The child could not read or understand the implications of the sortition. This further severs any possible link to a human (adult) intention. The technique thus strengthens the displacement of intention since it is difficult to see how any human intention could be involved. Direct prestige We know of a sortilegus of Fortuna Primigenia from Praeneste (CIL.14.2989). Although this is from the principate around the time of Vespasian, there is good reason to assume that this inscription reflects practice also in republican times (Champeaux 1982: I, 71). This sortilegus was previously a centurion and flamen augustalis. None of these honors indicate that he was of very high standing. It would probably be something like the higher middle class. We know of another one from Pompeii who was a sortilegus for Venus Erucina (CIL.6.2274). Unfortunately it cannot be decided the social standing of this person. Indirect prestige We have attested Fortuna Primigenia 150 , Hercules, Geryon, and Minerva. All of these are lower gods or not even gods, as in the case of Hercules, a hero, and Geryon, a titan. The indirect prestige is therefore not very high. credere noli (There are many people who do not want to believe), and some of them are more enigmatic: de incerto certa ne fiant, si sapis, caveas (from the uncertain the certain doesn’t happen, if you know it, beware). We also know of one lot from Falerii which read Mauors telum suum concutit (Mars is shaking his spear) (Liv.22.1.11). Here the spelling of Mars is archaizing. For more fragments of inscribed lots see (Champeaux 1982: 75-78). 149 A similar scene is depicted in a bas-relief from Ostia probably dated between 80 and 65 BCE (Champeaux 1982: 64-66). Here a young boy draws a table (tabula) from an urn (arca) on which is inscribed [S]ort(es) H(erculis) (Hercules’ lots). This suggests a similar procedure but a different god. The bas-relief is dedicated by a haruspex. Likewise, on coins struck by M. Plaetorius Cestianus on the reverse we see a small person holding a table on which is written SORS (lot) (Champeaux 1982: 64-66). 150 There is no reason to assume as Bouché-Leclercq that it really was Jupiter, who pulled the strings in Praeneste, when no sources mention this (Bouché-Leclercq 1879: IV, 149). 165
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The Dissemination of Divination in
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Chapter 8 - Sources to Roman Divina
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List of Figures Figure 3.1. Types o
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Acknowledgements Certain parts of t
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people. It is almost unanimously ag
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that precludes the investigation fr
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asic cognitive functions could acco
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Lienard & Feeney 2006), prayer (Bar
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“the making clear of something”
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In chapter 5 it is argued that obla
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Chapter 1 - History of divination a
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with *-eu appears in two forms. One
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involving the Korinthian Polyidos.
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The 15 th edition of the Encyclopae
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Chapter 2 - A History of Modern Div
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and games of chance a secondary dev
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causes. This is also the case conce
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Evans-Pritchard also uses a lot of
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through casting the decision “upo
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transformed and new relations are g
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Somewhat between the great currents
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efutations. With this article Zeitl
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the function of divination. Special
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Chapter 3 - Definition and typology
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means signs obtained from the gods
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producer. In this case we see that
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Chapter 4 - Impetrative Divination
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ontogenetic histories. Some feeling
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direct people in their life. It can
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or potential misfortune or lack of
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Before making blood-brotherhood Bef
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It was argued that emotion was cent
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Figure 4.2. Intentional action It i
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Figure 4.4. Ritualized action in di
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was the counterintuitive agent who
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education. 43 These problems requir
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Credibility 4,5 4 3,5 3 2,5 2 1,5 1
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Clairvoyant, and Astrologist. There
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Materials A booklet similar to the
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Summary The thesis of this chapter
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present existence, as the slogan go
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Let us presently consider how hyper
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1963). Michotte had subjects watch
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another that they were playing agai
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monkeys. There is evidence that in
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Sperber and Wilson programmatically
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humans communicate by producing sig
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Let us consider some examples of th
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Henrich and Gil-White supply precis
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communicator (T.S. Elliot) or a mil
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professors are not routinely attrib
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thought it most likely the main cha
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Chapter 5 - Oblative divination 82
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her life”. 85 In the example the
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in the city. To most modern people
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answer. In oblative divination the
Page 113 and 114: Figure 6.1. brings together the obs
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Page 117 and 118: While many good and detailed models
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Page 121 and 122: Chapter 7 - Research history on Rom
Page 123 and 124: assumption is that divination, espe
Page 125 and 126: It can be seen that Latte's as well
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Page 129 and 130: vastly different views on what legi
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Page 133 and 134: the observation. If the fear thesis
Page 135 and 136: Based on the evidence available to
Page 137 and 138: linear regression analysis was made
Page 139 and 140: criticism of it. His antiquarian cu
Page 141 and 142: Post-republican writers Verrius Fla
Page 143 and 144: M. Servius Honoratus Marius Servius
Page 145 and 146: The only full description we have o
Page 147 and 148: called interpretes Iovi, interprete
Page 149 and 150: All places where auspices should be
Page 151 and 152: anyhow. There is therefore no reaso
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Page 155 and 156: according to Cicero, the point is t
Page 157 and 158: Utility and Credibility value The a
Page 159 and 160: History Since it is mentioned in th
Page 161 and 162: Technique Let us consider public so
Page 163: Private sortition Private sortition
Page 167 and 168: Extispicy is a form of divination w
Page 169 and 170: public use of extispicy are perform
Page 171 and 172: (North 1990). In Etruria these indi
Page 173 and 174: Sibylline books The Sibylline Books
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Page 181 and 182: Technique Descriptives Credibility
Page 183 and 184: History Let us see how these observ
Page 185 and 186: Summary To summarize the conclusion
Page 187 and 188: as specified in equation 3, but it
Page 189 and 190: Dissemination Private sortition Pub
Page 191 and 192: “may the gods avert (bad) omens
Page 193 and 194: excelled every race and every natio
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Page 199 and 200: very widespread 196 and along with
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Page 203 and 204: 1,2 1 0,4 0,2 0 Omen words in Greek
Page 205 and 206: e distinguished: nuntiatio, relatio
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Page 209 and 210: Year BCE 218-190 189-162 160-132 13
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two seem to have been used in the c
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8) Sacrificia vetusta occultaque mi
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The actual interpretations we hear
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this type among the prodigia, where
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consideration here the cultural mod
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encounter of people using it to a g
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action. It was argued that these re
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investigate the dissemination of di
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practices that did not survive were
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divination. At the same time the op
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Appendix 1 The Kurabi among the Mwa
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Appendix 2 The Guzul In Central Aus
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Appendix 4 Roman Words Omen Prodigi
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Theocritus 21261 1.88 1.88 0 0 0.32
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Moon fell down Capua Goats got wool
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Note: *this is possibly not a separ
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Temple of Ceres struck by lightning
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Sheep with two heads born Suessa Pi
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12 year old hermaphrodite discovere
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Cows were talking Campania Bronze c
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*This prodigy may be the same as th
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156 Storm destroys sacred places on
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* Since the Graecostasis was right
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An owl was seen on the Capitol Roma
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* Rasmussen counts as two (Rasmusse
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Sun formed a disc like a shield at
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Two calfs were found in the entrail
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Fire in the sky Note: While this pr
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Tornado ripped of roofs Bridge coll
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Doors to the temple of Fortuna open
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Appendix 6 Examples of counterintui
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Bibliography Primary Sources 220 La
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Secondary sources Abbink, J. 1993:
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Bering, J. M. and Johnson, D. P. 20
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Callaway, H. 1970: The Religious Sy
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Dumezil, G. 1970: Archaic Roman Rel
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Guillaumont, F. 1984: Philosophe et
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Koenig, M. A., Clement, F., and Har
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Luterbacher, F. 1967: Der Prodigien
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Patton, L. L. 2000: "The Magic in M
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Schilling, R. 1979: "A propos des "
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Taylor, L. R. 1949: Party Politics
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Woodward, J. 2000: "Explanation and
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Oprindeligt blev divination forklar
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menneskelig perception eller ræson
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I kapitel 6 sammenlignes observatio
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Den sidste ligning udtrykker, at sa
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The dissemination of divination in roman republican times

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