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haruspex| In ancient Rome, Etruscan priest who practised divination. They were especially popular in the early days of the republic. |
| The haruspices made their predictions from the appearance of the entrails of sacrificial animals. They interpreted unusual phenomena of nature and recommended sacrifices in atonement. By the 1st century BC they had fallen into obscurity, although under the empire there was in Rome a college of 60 haruspices. This was later abolished by the emperor Constantine. |
| The haruspices are to be distinguished from the augurs, Roman priests who also interpreted the will of the gods but were of much higher social standing and had different methods of divination. |
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| Haruspices found omens in the entrails of sacrificial animals, while augers watched the flight of birds. Under De magis, he refers, as Casoni seems to have done after him, to "necromantii, hydromantii, geomantii, aeromantii, pyromantii, incantatores, ariosi, haruspices, auspices, augures, astrologi, genethliaci, geneses, horoscopi, sortilegi, salisatores, auguria," etc. |