Ancient Roman Signs for Predicting the Future

Newstoday: The art of getting knowledge of the future through the help of supernatural powers was the main role in Roman life and part of their religion and history. It was told by the Roman Cicero Romulus, who was the founder of Rome was responsible for divination. When he saw the sky and the arrival of the 12 sacred birds whom they considered to be sent from heaven with a sign that he should rule over his region. For the Romans, everything happened to bring some message or signs sent by a God. There were many prophecies and astrology made by them. 

This article will let you the detail of most strange methods used by Romans at their time. 

Different Ways of Predicting Future

There may be a variety of ways that Romans used to predict their future but a few authentic and common methods are described below. 

1. Chickens

In the 249 Century, the Roman commander Claudius Pulcher was preparing their team for battle with Carthaginians located on the off-coast of Derpana in Sicily. The commander was worried about whether to go out to battle or not. He consulted and follow the popular method of divination used in the Roman military. The Procedure was to put some grains on the ground and released the chicken from the cage if the chicken rushed out for the grains greedily then it is a sign of a great omen which shows fighting the battle and if the chickens hesitate in coming out of the cage than it showed the loss in battle and it should be avoided. 

2- Human Sacrifice

In Ancient Rome, a priest known as a haruspex was entrusted with divination by examining the entrails of sacrificial animals, most commonly a sheep's liver. But, the Romans were said to have adopted a considerably more sinister strategy. This is referred described as anthropomancy or divination from humans. The Romans are supposed to have sacrificed men, women, and children on occasion for this purpose, however, the evidence for this is weak. The subject's chest was often opened while they were still alive, and their organs were removed in a certain order and read until they died. Besides observing the color and shape of each organ, the priest performing the sacrifice would also take note of how the victim yelled, how they bled, and the manner of their final spasms. This data was gathered and examined for omens and prophecies.

3- Predictions Through Eggs

Another method, Romans used eggs for divination which is known as oomancy. Soothsaying with eggs took numerous forms, but one common method included dropping an egg white into boiling water and making predictions based on the shapes that emerged. A lovely round mass signified a wedding was on the way, but an uneven snake-like shape was seen as a warning of impending disaster. A pregnant Livia Drusilla, according to a Roman writer, used an egg to determine the sex of her unborn child. When the egg was ready to hatch, she cradled it in her palm and nurtured it between her breasts. The chick was a male, implying that her kid would also be a boy.  Unbroken eggs were also massaged into pregnant women's tummies before being split open. The raw egg was interpreted in a variety of ways. A double yolk indicated twins.

4- Predictions Through Thunder

Looking to the heavens was an important method of divination for the Romans.  In search of messages from the gods, Augurs climbed mountains and perched on hills. This might manifest as groups of birds flying about, lightning, or the shape and velocity of clouds. Brontomancy is another name for this type of behavior. This is fate telling through the interpretation of thunder and lightning. The Augurs predict that if the clouds thunder on the left side, it is a favorable indication, but if it thunders on the right side, it is a bad sign. On weekdays, thunders can also interpret someone's death. Sunday thunder frequently meant the death of a scholar or a priest. Monday thunder is reserved for women, while Wednesday and Thursday are reserved for beggars and prostitutes. If it rains on Friday, the death of a commander or a statesman is written. The Saturday storm foresees threats such as plague and famine.