Omens And Oracles: Divination In Ancient Greece
by Matthew Dillon /
2017 / English / PDF
4.4 MB Download
Addressing the role which divination played in ancient Greek
society, this volume deals with various forms of prophecy and how
each was utilised and for what purpose. Chapters bring together
key types of divining, such as from birds, celestial phenomena,
the entrails of sacrificed animals and dreams. Oracular centres
delivered prophetic pronouncements to enquirers, but in addition,
there were written collections of oracles in circulation. Many
books were available on how to interpret dreams, the birds and
entrails, and divination as a religious phenomenon attracted the
attention of many writers. Expert diviners were at the heart of
Greek prophecy, whether these were Apollo’s priestesses
delivering prose or verse answers to questions put to them by
consultants, diviners known as manteis, who interpreted entrails
and omens, the chresmologoi, who sang the many oracles
circulating orally or in writing, or dream interpreters.
Divination was utilised not only to foretell the future but also
to ensure that the individual or state employing divination acted
in accordance with that divinely prescribed future; it was
employed by all and had a crucial role to play in what courses of
action both states and individuals undertook. Specific attention
is paid in this volume not only to the ancient written evidence,
but to that of inscriptions and papyri, with emphasis placed on
the iconography of Greek divination.
Addressing the role which divination played in ancient Greek
society, this volume deals with various forms of prophecy and how
each was utilised and for what purpose. Chapters bring together
key types of divining, such as from birds, celestial phenomena,
the entrails of sacrificed animals and dreams. Oracular centres
delivered prophetic pronouncements to enquirers, but in addition,
there were written collections of oracles in circulation. Many
books were available on how to interpret dreams, the birds and
entrails, and divination as a religious phenomenon attracted the
attention of many writers. Expert diviners were at the heart of
Greek prophecy, whether these were Apollo’s priestesses
delivering prose or verse answers to questions put to them by
consultants, diviners known as manteis, who interpreted entrails
and omens, the chresmologoi, who sang the many oracles
circulating orally or in writing, or dream interpreters.
Divination was utilised not only to foretell the future but also
to ensure that the individual or state employing divination acted
in accordance with that divinely prescribed future; it was
employed by all and had a crucial role to play in what courses of
action both states and individuals undertook. Specific attention
is paid in this volume not only to the ancient written evidence,
but to that of inscriptions and papyri, with emphasis placed on
the iconography of Greek divination.