The dissemination of divination in roman republican times

involving the Korinthian Polyidos. He goes on to mention the Gallic druids, then a Persian
example, one from Peloponnese, one from Syria one from Etruria, and on and on. The
outlook of the work is clearly universal. The examples show that all peoples known to the
Romans have known divination. This is adduced as support for the basic theory.
In the second book this theory is refuted. The basic argument against it is that there is a lack
of causal connection between e.g. the constitution of the liver and the communication of the
gods (Cic.Div.2.29). Cicero also points out a number of empirical examples that disconfirm
the thesis (Cic.Div.2.45). 3 This structure is a basic tenet of the skeptical school, which
favored the exposition of a case as the production of an argument and then a
counterargument. The conclusion, however, should be left to the listener (Schofield 1986).
Cicero’s work on divination can be seen to connect a wide variety of phenomena under the
heading of a traditional Latin term. In spite of its possible etymological link to divus the
above indicated that the connection to the gods is a novel. De divinatione specifies a clear
definition and typology supported by a theory of divination which stipulates the existence of
the gods as an active force able to communicate through nature or directly with the human
soul. This typology is given support by a rich number of examples from the whole world and
all times, which is meant to demonstrate the theory’s validity. Actually this is structurally a
model example for science: a theory, a clear definition and a derived typology (Geertz 1999).
But as Cicero points out in the second book the theory has several problems: It lacks logical
consistency and involves entities (souls and gods) and causal processes that are at best
mysterious (such as the relation between some future misfortune, the gods and the
constitution of the liver).
Modern treatments of divination as a general term
No monograph has been dedicated solely to divination after Cicero’s. A lot has been written
about divination, but mostly with reference to a single people or tribe, or a single type of
divination. In order to trace the trajectory of thought about divination as a general
phenomenon, I have chosen to focus on encyclopedia articles on divination, since they are
expert statements about divination as a general phenomenon.
3 He derives logical conclusions from the theory, and shows that they are not confirmed by empirical
evidence. In the example from Cic.Div.45 the hypothesis is that Jupiter can give signs through lightning. Then
he would have no reason to let lightning strike in abandoned places, such as deserts, but he nevertheless does.
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