A haruspex was a member of the Roman clergy who practiced divination by examining the entrails of sacrificed animals. In ” The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” Edward Gibbon described them as : “… the sacred but licentious crowd of priests (who) to slaughter the victim, and, thrusting his bloody hands into the bowels of the expiring animal, to draw forth the heart or liver, and to read, with the consummate skill of an haruspex, imaginary signs of future events.” Even if the 18th Century historian frowned on the reliability of the ancient practice, the Romans took it very seriously. No battles were mounted or marriages consummated without a thorough examination of bloody entrails. While this messy form of divination has fallen out of practice, reproductions of sheep livers can be examined for educational purposes only. Or you could read up on the practice here.

Posted by: Kate Jonez