Fortune-telling.
Fortune-telling and the interpretation of omens played a very important role in both the private and public life of the Romans. The gods were asked about the outcome of any significant work, whether it was a military expedition or the construction of a building. These purposes were served by a well-calibrated system of fortune-telling, which was carried out by a special panel of august priests. The Augurs had great influence, and if the omens were bad, they could even overturn the law.
Fortune-telling August was called auspices and divided into several classes. The most common was fortune-telling by screaming or flying birds. Crow and owl were suitable for the first, falcons, eagles and kites for the second. Even the smallest details played a role. For example, the crows' cawing announced good luck only if it came from the left side.
Before starting to observe the flight of birds, it was necessary to outline a small area on the ground, from where the observation was carried out, and a wide space in the sky. For this purpose, in August the rod was used to draw two imaginary intersecting lines in the sky - from north to south and from east to west. He also drew these lines with a rectangle inside which he had to look for birds. Similarly, in August, he outlined the ground and the observer had to sit at the intersection of imaginary lines. Such a site was called templum - hence the concept of a Roman temple as such. As a rule, it was not the August itself that watched the birds, but the one who asked for divine will, while August only interpreted the signs.
There were also widespread fortune-telling on celestial phenomena, such as thunder and lightning, and on patching or nonsticking of grains by birds. The first proclaimed good luck, the second - on the contrary. Such fortune-telling was especially respected in the war, so the legion was often followed by a special man with a whole van of chickens.
The fortune-telling was also considered to be a trustworthy prediction on the inside of sacrificial animals, mainly on the liver. It was engaged in special fortune-tellers - Garuspiki, who knew a lot of subtleties and fortune-telling values of each part of the liver. The fortune-telling itself came to Rome from Etruria, and the best garuspiks in Rome for centuries were considered Etruscans.
Even when the belief in the gods in the highest circles of Rome was shaken, the aspicians continued to play the role of a powerful political lever, and the August was highly respected.
The Romans approached fortune-telling as formally as they did religious ceremonies. Anecdotal history is known when a Roman consul, seeing the inspiration of the soldiers, was going to attack the enemy and asked for predictions in August. Augur shared the mood of the army and, having made a fortune-telling, answered the consul that the chickens bite the grain well and the fight will be successful. However, before the beginning of the battle the consul accidentally learned that August lied to him and the omens are unfavorable. The consul said: "Well, it's the priest's business. It was announced to me that the gods favour us, and I believe it is so. The consul won the battle, but August, as legend has it, was killed in battle.
The life of the Romans was greatly influenced by random incidents, which they usually interpreted unfavorably. For example, the people's assembly had to disperse immediately if any of those present had an epileptic seizure. Indeed, the Romans were very superstitious, as we would say now, and even minor events in our opinion could change their decisions. So, they say that the squeak of a vole, which did not come at the right time, forced one person to take off the duties of a dictator and the other person to resign from the post of the head of the cavalry.