Introduction

1. History
2. Ancient and Modern Practice
History
"Haruspicy" is a method of divination that was practiced by the ancient Etruscans, who
had an advanced civiliation in !taly before the "oman Empire. !n fact the "omans
learned much of their culture and art from the Etruscans #or "asna as they called
themselves$. %hey also brou&ht the art of writin& to Europe' the (atin alphabet is mostly
derived from the Etruscan, and "unes are based on a northern Etruscan alphabet.
Althou&h the Etruscans have been called %he People of the )oo*, very little of their
writin& survives. %heir lan&ua&e is mysterious, bein& non+!ndo+European and apparently
unrelated to all other lan&ua&es in the area, it has been only partly deciphered, and that
-uite recently.
%he principles of haruspicy were contained in the (ibri %a&etici, a collection of boo*s
dictated by %a&es, who was said to be a childli*e bein& unearthed in a field by %archon, a
%ar-uinian peasant. After teachin& the art of haruspicy to the (ucumones #hi&h priests$ of
the twelve Etruscan tribes, %a&es disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared.
"Haruspices" #diviners$ from Etruria were consulted privately throu&hout the history of
the "oman Empire. %he "oman .enate also held haruspicy in the hi&hest re&ard and
consulted haruspices before all important state decisions. %he emperor /laudius was a
student of Etruscan lan&ua&e and learnin&, and created a "colle&e" of 01 haruspices that
e2isted until the be&innin& of the fifth century A3. !n 415 they offered their services to
Pompeianus, the Prefect of "ome, to save the city from the 6oths, !nnocent, the /hristian
bishop, reluctantly a&reed, so lon& as the rites were *ept secret. !t is li*ely that in the end
the rites were not performed, in any case "ome fell. %he open practice of "%he Etruscan
3iscipline" continued into the si2th century, but disappeared after that.
Ancient and Modern Practice
!n ancient times the haruspe2 #diviner$
interpreted the divine will by inspectin&
the entrails of a sacrificial animal. 7irst
the animal was ritually slau&htered.
8e2t it was butchered, with the
haruspe2 e2aminin& the sie, shape,
color, mar*in&s etc. of certain internal
or&ans, usually the liver #hepatoscopy$,
but also the &all, heart and lun&s. #9ne
brone "instructional liver" #the
Piaceni liver$ has survived from Etruria, but there are also a Hittite #)o&ha*eui$ and a
)abylonian version.$ 7inally, when the animal had been butchered, the meat was roasted
and all the celebrants shared a sacred meal.
8owadays, few of us slau&hter our own livestoc*, it is done in a factory where we don:t
have to see it. Also, entrails are offensive to modern sensibilities and most of us would
prefer not to e2amine them. 7ortunately there is a form of haruspicy, called "ooscopy",
that is -uite compatible with the modern world. 9oscopy substitutes an e&& for the
sacrificial animal and inspection of the opened e&& for e2amination of the entrails. %his
wor*s ;ust as well as the ancient procedure, and perhaps better. Ancient haruspices didn:t
use it because you can:t ma*e a &reat public celebration out of the crac*in& of an e&&.
9oscopic divination is described in the followin&.
Procedure
1. Preparation
2. Part !
<. Part !!
4. .acred Meal
Preparation
i. !n order that Haruspicy be effective, the Haruspe2 must be mentally prepared and have
the proper attitude of "espect for the 6ods. He =or she> must be .ober. He must have
bathed and wear clean, festive clothes. =.pecial robes are not necessary, any clean, neat
clothes will do. 9n the other hand, a special robe helps delimit the sacred from the
profane. !n ancient times a Haruspe2 wore a frin&ed mantle and a tall, conical hat with
sli&htly concave sides. %his is perhaps the ori&in of the stereotypical sorcerer:s costume.>
ii. %he Haruspe2 should fast for at least twelve hours before the "ite, three days is best.
3urin& this time the Haruspe2 may meditate on the ?uestion that is the ob;ect of the
3ivination.
iii. %he E&& must be pure white and unblemished, it should be cleaned of all defilement.
9therwise the Haruspe2 has created a @itium =defect in the ritual>. =!t is not necessary to
use a fertile e&&.>
iv. A Patera =plain, white saucer>, a @essel of Aater and a candle or other 7lame should be
brou&ht.
v. Music, especially 7lute music, may accompany the "itual.
Part I
1. %he .acrifice
2. %he !nspection
<. %he Parts
4. "e&ions of the %emplum Albi E2terioris
B. "e&ions of the %emplum Albi !nterioris
0. "e&ions of the %emplum @itelli
C. "e&ions of the %emplum Embruou
The Sacrifice
i. .ay "%D(A" E!.8A .A%HE" =Ma*e the 3ivine )oundariesE> and carry the E&& and
the Aater in a /ircle around the Altar, thus delimitin& the .acred from the Profane. .ay
"%A .A/8!E" =%his is the .anctuaryE>
ii. .ay "A/ E!.! 8E"!/8 @A/(E" =9ffer the Aater as a (ibation for the 6odsE> and
pour out some of the Aater to wash the /elebrants: hands.
iii. %he Haruspe2 faces .outh, stretches out his hands, and in a loud voice implores the
6ods to &ive 9men, with an invocation such as this'
"AP(DE PhoebosE ApolloE 3elianE PythianE (ord of 3elphiE 6uardian of the .ibylsE 9r
by whatever other name Fou wish to be called, ! pray and beseech Fou that Fou may by
Four ma;esty be propitious and well+disposed to me, for which ! offer this E&&. !f ! have
worshiped Fou and still do worship Fou, Fou who tau&ht Man*ind the Art of Prophecy,
Fou who have inspired my 3ivination, then come now and show Four .i&ns that ! mi&ht
*now the Aill of the 6odsE ! see* to *now #say the ?uestion$ %HD! ."E8A" %E@E
=.how .i&ns, here, nowE>."
=AP(D is the Etruscan name of the &od of prophecy, you may of course call him by other
names, Apollo, Hobal, .hamash, Horus, Mont #Menthu$, etc.>
iv. %he Assistant #if there be one$ says, "7(E"/H@A "A%DM %D"E" ="/arry out the
sacrifice accordin& to the (awE">
v. %he Haruspe2 uncovers the Gnife, with a sin&le blow crac*s the E&&, and then
carefully opens and empties it onto the Patera. !f the Fol* brea*s, it is a @itium and the
Haruspe2 must be&in a&ain.
vi. %he dedication is completed by all /elebrants sayin&' "!GA8 8E%.@!. A(P8D
AP(D. %D"D/E." ="%he Haruspe2 has &iven this as a &ift to AP(D.">
The Inspection
i. %he Patera is turned so that the place where the 7ibra Dmbilicata =umbilical cord>
leaves the @itellus =yol*> and connects to the Embruon =embryo> is in the .outheast
direction.
ii. %he shape of the Album =e&&+white> should be definite and firm, if it runs then the
6ods have refused to &ive clear .i&ns. .ome @itium may have been committed.
iii. %he Album should divide naturally into two parts, the thic*er Album !nterius around
the @itellus, and the thinner Album E2terius around that. !f these are not distinct, then the
.i&ns cannot be clearly read.
iv. %he @itellus should be uniform and bri&ht of /olor and re&ular of .hape, not bein& so
is an !ll 9men. %he .acrifice should be repeated.
v. )lood in the @itellus is a 7ri&htful 9men.
vi. %he Album should be moderately clear, e2cept for a )ubbles and Pale 7eatures.
vii. %he E&& is divided into Parts, %empla, ?uadrants and "e&ions =see below>, and the
Haruspe2 must note carefully the Position and /haracter of every Mar*, )ubble or other
7eature, and their 8umber and /onfi&uration. =A little practice will help distin&uishin&
normal features of e&&s from those that are si&nificant.>
viii. !f the 7ibra crosses the @itellus, it indicates a connection of the "e&ions crossed.
i2. %he Haruspe2 should also note if any "e&ion is e2cessively lar&e, or diminished in
sie or absent.
2. A Monstrum =disfi&urement> in a Part, ?uadrant or "e&ion is an especially .i&nificant
.i&n and an Evil 9men.
The Parts
(oo* at the chart.
i. %he /ardo =8orth+.outh a2is> divides the E&& into East and Aest Parts.
ii. %o the Haruspe2:s (eft is the East, and this is the Pars 7amiliaris =7riendly Part>.
iii. %o the Haruspe2:s "i&ht is the Aest, and this is the Pars Hostilis =Enemy Part>.
iv. %he 3ecumanus =East+Aest a2is> divides the E&& into 8orth and .outh Parts.
v. )ehind the Haruspe2 is the 8orth, and this is the Pars Postica, which is the Home of
the 6ods of Heaven and (i&ht and is ruled by D.!( =the Etruscan .un &od>, the Gin& of
3ay.
vi. !n front of the Haruspe2 is the .outh, and this is the Pars Antica, which is the Home of
the 6ods of Earth and 8ature and is ruled by %!@ =the Etruscan Moon &oddess>, the
?ueen of 8i&ht.
vii. Many of the 6ods have 3ual Aspects, dependin& on the Part or ?uadrant in which
they 3well. %hus the Meanin& of a .i&n is determined both by the Part in which it occurs
and by the "e&ion in which it occurs.
viii. "eadin& the .i&ns be&ins in the .outheast, and proceeds to the .outh =i.e.,
cloc*wise> around the "e&ions. %he 9uter "e&ions are inspected before the !nner
"e&ions.
Regions of the Templum Albi Exterioris
i. %he Album E2terius is a %emplum, which is divided into "e&ions wherein dwell the
6ods, and these "e&ions are &rouped into four ?uadrants, .outheast, .outhwest,
8orthwest and 8ortheast. =A %emplum is an area in which the haruspe2 observes omens.>
ii. %hese are the "e&ions and ?uadrants and their Meanin&s. =!t is very helpful to ma*e a
dia&ram of the followin& "e&ions and ?uadrants. Also the &ods are identified below by
their Etruscan names and annotated with 6raeco+"oman or other e-uivalents, where they
e2ist. %he si&nificance of the deities is merely indicated below, supplement with your
own interpretation.>
[SE]
6oin& to the East of the 7ibra the "e&ions are'
/A%HA
/A%HA, 3au&hter of the .un, &overns -uic* be&innin&s, sudden dawnin&s.
8E%HD8. =8eptune, Poseidon>
8E%HD8. is (ord of the .ea, and &overns the 3epths of the water, and of the Psyche.
6oin& to the .outh of the 7ibra the "e&ions are'
7D7(D8. =3ionysus, )acchus, (iber, .oma>
7D7(D8. is (ord of the 6rape and !nto2ication, and of the 3eli&hts of @itality of all
*inds.
.E(@A8. =.ilvanus>
.E(@A8. is (ord of 7orests and of their clearin& for cultivation. He is bad for children
and for women in labor.
.E(@A8. is also a %utor 7inium =&uardian of boundaries> and so terminates the
.outheast ?uadrant, which is *nown is 7elicitas =6ood 7ortune>.
[SW]
/ontinuin& Aest from .E(@A8. the "e&ions are'
(E%HAM
(E%HAM' he protects li*e MA"!. =Mars>, but dwells in E!%A =Hades>.
%(D./@A
%he %(D./@A are %ellus and %ellumo, the 8urturin& and the !nseminatin&, the Earth
Mother and the Earth 7ather.
/E( =6aia>
A%! /E( =Mother /el>, the 3eep+)reasted, the 7ruitful Earth.
/D(.D H A(PA8 =(ibens, Harmonia, /oncordia>
Aillin& /onsent is the &ift of A(PA8, handmaid to %D"A8 =&oddess of love>.
%he !nfernal 3emon /D(.D, 6oddess of 6ateways, is a %utor 7inium, and so terminates
the .outhwest ?uadrant, which is *nown as "e&iones 3irae =%he 7earful "e&ions>.
[NW]
/ontinuin& 8orth from /D(.D the "e&ions are'
@E%!. =@edius, @e;ovis>
Evil+Iove, (ord of 3eath and 3estruction.
/!(E8. =%yche, 7ortuna>
/!(E8. is (ady (uc*, Mistress of /hance, brin&er of @ictory or 3isaster.
%!8 =Jeus, Iupiter, %iu> H /!(E8.
%!8 =or %!8!A>, (ord of the %hunderbolt, is a 6od of Heaven and (i&ht. 7rom this
"e&ion %!8 sends 3estroyin& (i&htnin&, but only if the 3i !nvoluti =@eiled 6ods> concur.
=7or /!(E8., see above.>
%!8. %HD7(%HA =Punishment of %!8>
%HD7(%HA, the 7ury, inflicts punishment for %!8, her 7ather. 7or from this "e&ion %!8
sends the (i&htnin& which does some 6ood as well as Harm, but he does so only if his
/ouncil concurs.
%!8 is also a %utor 7inium, and so terminates the 8orthwest ?uadrant, which is *nown as
"e&iones Ma2ime 3irae =%he Most 7earful "e&ions>.
[NE]
/ontinuin& East from %!8. %HD7(%HA the "e&ions are'
%!8.%H 8E%HD8. =8E%HD8. in %!8:s "e&ion>
7rom this "e&ion %!8 sends 6entle (i&htnin& as a Aarnin& to Man*ind, and He does this
without consultation. =7or 8E%HD8., see above.>
D8! =Iuno, Astarte, !shtar, !nanna, 3ione, (ucetia, (ucina> H MAE
D8!, 6oddess of (i&ht and 7ertility, is .ister and Aife of %!8. Dni oversees Marria&e,
the Aeddin& 8i&ht, Pre&nancy, /hildbirth, and 8ursin&. .he also protects the .tate and
her "ulers. . . . . =MAE is un*nown, but may be Maius, a Iupiter+li*e consort of D8!. Ae
&et our month names May and Iune from Maius and Iuno.>
%E/@M =%i*amne !uvie>
APA %E/DM =7ather %E/DM> is the 6od of the "ulin& /lass.
(@.A =3ea 3ia or (ynsa silvestrisK>
(@.A' 6oddess of 7ield and 7orest.
(@.A is also a %utor 7inium, and so terminates the 8ortheast ?uadrant, which is *nown
as .umma 7elicitas =6reatest 6ood 7ortune>. %he /ircle is complete, it has returned to
the "e&ion of 8E%HD8..
Regions of the Templum Albi Interioris
i. %he Album !nterius is a %emplum, which is divided into "e&ions wherein dwell the
6ods, and these "e&ions are &rouped into four ?uadrants, .outheast, .outhwest,
8orthwest and 8ortheast.
ii. %hese are the "e&ions and ?uadrants and their Meanin&s.
[SE]
6oin& to the East of the 7ibra the "e&ions are'
HE"/(E =Hercules, Hera*les>
HE"/(E is 6od of Aater, .prin&s and the .ea. He is also, li*e MA"!., a 6od of
.tren&th and Martial @alor, and so protects 7amilies and their belon&in&s.
%@A%H =3emeter or Aphrodite EpitymbiaK>
6oddess of "esurrection, and (ove for the 3ead.
6oin& to the .outh of the 7ibra the "e&ions are'
/!(E8.
=.ee above.>
.E(@A8.
=.ee above.>
[SW]
(E%HAM
=.ee above.>
%(D./@A
=.ee above.>
%(D./@A
=A second re&ion for the %(D./@A.>
(@.A H @E(/HA8. =@elchanos, Mulciber, @olcanus>
@E(/HA8., Most Ancient of the 6ods, is 7ather of the Earth and 6od of @e&etation.
@E(/HA8. throws the %hunderbolt and &overns 7ire in all its 7orms, both Helpful and
3an&erous. =7or (@.A, see above.>
[NW]
ME%H(DM
. . . . of the "ural 3istricts.
MA"!. =Mars, Ares, Mares>
MA"!. is 6od of 7ertility, of all 6rowin& %hin&s, of .prin&. MA"!. is a Protector, and
&overns Aar and /onflict of all *inds, and ta*es .ouls into E!%A. APA MA"!. =7ather
MA"!., Marspiter> is the /onsort of A%! %D"A8 =Mother %D"A8, &oddess of love>,
they are /onflict and /oncord.
%(D./@A
=.ee above.>
%!8.%H 8E%HD8.
=.ee above.>
[NE]
%HD7(%HA
=.ee above.>
%!8. %HD7(%HA
=.ee above.>
(E%HAM
=.ee above.>
%D( =%erminus>
%D( is 6od of )oundaries, and completes the %emplum Albi.
Regions of the Templum itelli
i. %he @itellus is a %emplum, which is divided into "e&ions wherein dwell the 6ods, and
these "e&ions are &rouped into four ?uadrants, .outheast, .outhwest, 8orthwest and
8ortheast.
ii. %hese are the "e&ions and ?uadrants and their Meanin&s.
[SE]
6oin& to the East of the 7ibra the "e&ions are'
%D"A8 =@enus, Aphrodite>
A%! %D"A8 is 6oddess of (ove and 3esire in all its Aspects, Pure and !mpure. .he
brin&s the .prin& and 7ruitfulness.
MEA8 =@ictoria, 8i*e, @acuna>
MEA8, a very Ancient 6oddess, brin&s .uccess in Armed /onflict, in Protectin& the
7ields, and in .trivin& of all *inds.
6oin& to the .outh of the 7ibra the "e&ions are'
A"!%!M! =Artemis, Hecate, Artio, )ritomartis, 3iana>
A"!%!M!, ?ueen of the Moon, is 6oddess of the /hase and of 7orests. .he oversees
/hildbirth, but may brin& .udden 3eath to Aomen.
@9(%DM8E =@ertumnus>
3ius Etruriae Princeps =/hief 6od of the Etruscans>' He is master of all @e&etation, but
especially 7ruit %rees.
[SW]
%D"M. =Mercury, Hermes, .arameya>
%D"M., 7acile of %on&ue, always resourceful, Protector of %ravellers and others who
must !nterpret. He also &overns /ommerce and protects Homes and 7loc*s.
%D/HD(/HA
7oul 3emon of 3eath, a )east with writhin& sna*es and vulture:s bea*, he dra&s his
terrified @ictims into E!%A.
.E%H(A8. =Hephaistos, A&ni, Favishtha>
.E%H(A8. teaches Man to harness 7ire and other 8atural 7orces for his )enefit. He is
&uardian of all Artisans and of their Arts.
.A%"E =.aturnus>
.A%"E is 6od of the Abundance of the 7ields.
[NW]
(E%HAM
=.ee above.>
MA"!.
=.ee above.>
AP(D =Apollo, Hobal>
AP(D brin&s many Dseful 6ifts to Man' 3ivination and Prophecy, the buildin& of 6reat
/ities, relief from 3isease and Pests, cultivation and protection of /rops, Music and the
other Arts. )ut AP(D may also brin& Pla&ue and .udden 3eath to Men.
/A%HA
A%! /A%HA =Mother /A%HA, see above>
[NE]
7D7(D8.
=.ee above.>
ME8"@A =Minerva, Athena, .arasvati>
%he Etruscan %rinity' %!8, D8! and ME8"@A. Her 6ift is Prudent !ntelli&ence, and she
protects !ndustrious People, /ommerce, and .chools.
(A.A
(A.A, an assistant to %!8, is a 6oddess of (ove and !nsi&ht.
A8E =Ianus>
A8E is 6od of Entries and E2its, 3epartures and "eturns, )e&innin&s and Endin&s. He
protects !nitiative in any activity, and helps /ommunication of all *inds.
Regions of the Templum Embruou
i. %he Embruon is a %emplum, which belon&s to the Pars 7amiliaris and is divided into
"e&ions wherein dwell the 6ods.
ii. )e&innin& from the 7ibra and &oin& towards the end of the Embruon these "e&ions
are'
8E%HD8.
=.ee above.>
(E%HAM
=.ee above.>
MA"!. H (A"A8 =(ar>
(A"A8 is /ustos A&ri =Protector of 7ields>, and, with MA"!. and (E%HAM, watches
over the Household. =7or MA"!., see above.>
%@A%H
=.ee above.>
%hus is completed the "eadin& of the "e&ions wherein dwell the 6ods.
Part II
i. Part !! of the Procedure is not to be performed by all, as it re-uires &reater .*ill and
E2perience on the part of the Haruspe2.
ii. .ay "@E". "A/H%!E" =Prepare the 7ireE>, and li&ht the 7lame.
iii. Heat the @essel until the Aater ;ust be&ins to boil, remove it from the 7lame.
iv. !ntone a Prayer such as this'
"! beseech Fou, %D"M., Hermes, %risme&istus, Ar&ephontes, 3iactoros, Mercurius,
%hoth, (ord of Holy Aords, 9pener of the Aorld E&&, 3;ehuti, %he Elder, %aaut, or
whatever other name it pleases Fou to be called, fly to me, touch me with Four /aduceus
=wand> and inspire me with the %rue Aill of the 6odsE ! see* to *now #say the ?uestion$.
! pray that you show me the !ma&es and 7orms, for which ! offer this E&&. %D"M.
HA%H"%H!E %HD! MD" %E@/ ."E8A"%8E =)e *ind HermesE .tay here and show
the !ma&esE>"
v. %ilt the Patera so that the E&& slides into the Aater, sayin&'
"%D"M. %HD8J' .D%HE %D"M. E.(J' J!/HE %D"M. /!J' M!8! %E.E" =Hermes
once' stayE Hermes twice' writeE Hermes thrice' help meE>
vi. %he Album will arran&e itself into si&nificant 7orms and .hapes. %he Haruspe2 must
observe the Album in all ways, loo*in& for 7orms and !ma&es that are relevant to the
?uestion.
vii. !n &eneral, parts of the Album that float are connected with the .*y and the .*y
6ods, those that sin* are connected with the Earth and the Earth 6ods.
viii. )e especially observant of any (etters or other /haracters that appear in the .*y.
i2. )eyond this little can be said on !nterpretation, practice is re-uired, invo*e %D"M.
and AP(D for aid.
Sacred Meal
i. Ahen the 3ivination has been completed, all say' "8E%.@!. .A//EE JE"! D%D
"A%DME E!.A" !PA (D/A!" %HD! D%!/EE" =%he Haruspe2 has carried out the
.acred ActE %he "ite is le&ally doneE %he 6ods who rule have withdrawn from hereE>
ii. %he E&& may be removed from the Aater and eaten by the /elebrants as a .acred
Meal.
Theor!
%he documented practical application of haruspicy &oes bac* <111 years, so it may seem
pointless to see* an e2planation of its efficacy in modern terms. 8evertheless, modern
-uantum theory does provide one e2planation of why it wor*s. %his theoretical
e2planation may not be ri&ht, and in any case is unnecessary to the proper practice of %he
Art. !t is lar&ely a matter of taste' do you prefer the ancient mysticism of the pa&ans or
the modern mysticism of physicsK
?uantum theory tells us that the state of a system is indeterminate so lon& as it is
unobserved, and so the innards of the e&& are indeterminate, this means they have no
definite confi&uration. /rac*in& the e&&shell and observin& its contents causes a
"collapse of the wavefunction," in other words the e&& enters a definite state. .o what the
haruspe2 observes is in no way determined by simple mechanical laws, but the
probabilities of its confi&urations can be influenced by the past, present and future.
?uantum theory also tells us that the wavefunctions of all ob;ects e2tend infinitely in all
directions. More accurately, the wavefunctions of ob;ects #such as the e&&$ are ;ust pieces
of the wavefunction of the universe, which means that the interior of the e&& is connected
with everythin& else in the universe' the macrocosm is reflected in the microcosm. %hus
the e&& may reflect any other condition in the present universe.
%hat it can also reflect the past and future is shown by relativity theory, which tells us that
whether somethin& occurred in the past, present or future is a matter of point of view'
what is past for one reference frame is future for another. %he wavefunction e2ists in a
space+time continuum, and so is connected to the past and future as well as the present.
%hus the past and the future condition the shape of the wavefunction of the inside of the
e&&, and thus the probabilities of its confi&urations when it is observed.
%he microcosm of the e&& contains the macrocosm of the universe, but the s*ill of the
haruspe2 is re-uired to ensure that the confi&uration of the e&& is relevant to the -uestion
at hand. %his is because the wavefunction of the haruspe2:s mind is also connected to that
of the e&& and the rest of the universe. %hus the concerns, -uestions, purposes, attitudes
and intentions of the haruspe2 can influence the collapse of the e&&:s wavefunction by
causin& its wavefunction to couple with the relevant aspects of the past, present or future
wavefunction of the universe. !t also couples with the wavefunction of the s*illed
haruspe2:s mind, with the result that the si&ns are interpretable. %he art of haruspicy, if
performed with care, accomplishes this couplin&. 3o not for&et, however, that the state of
the e&& is not determined, all the haruspe2 can do is influence the probabilities, there is
no &uarantee that the procedure will wor*.
%he simpler theory of haruscipy is that by proper prayer and ritual we may influence the
&ods to send us a si&n, thou&h they may choose not to do so, either throu&h caprice or to
suit their lar&er plan. )ut when they are willin&, they can pro;ect the Macrocosm into the
Microcosm and embody in the e&& si&ns which answer our needs.
Pronunciation "uide
%he pronunciation of Etruscan is well understood. %here are four vowels' A L ah, E L eh,
! L ee, D L oo. %he consonants are the same as in En&lish, e2cept' / L *, @ L w and J L
ts. %hus /!J is pronounced *its. !n addition, /H, PH and %H are aspirated /, P, % #li*e
the initial sounds of *in, pin, tin$. %he consonant clusters are pronounced by vocaliin& (,
M, 8, " #as in castle, bottom, button and butter$. %he accent #stress$ is always on the first
syllable.
%erms related to %he Art' haruspicy L ha "D. pi sy, haruspe2 L ha "D. pe2, haruspices
L ha "D. pi sees, etc. #%his is En&lish convention, (atin would be' harupicium L ha rus
P!G i um, haruspe2 L HA rus pe2, haruspices L ha "D. pi *ays, haruspicina L ha rus pi
GEE na, etc.$
#ibliograph!
Primary "eferences
.econdary .ources
Primary References
Piacena brone liver #c. 1B1 )/E$, published in @an 3er Meer #see below$.
Ja&reb mummy wrappin&s #c. 1B1+111 )/E$, published in /. Pauli H al., Corpus
Inscriptionum Etruscarum, supplement, 1M1M+21, also published in M. Pallottino,
Testimonia Linguae Etruscae I, 7lorence' 1M05.
Martianus /apella #fl. 411+4<M /E$, De Nuptiis Mercurii & Philologiae #On the
Marriage of Mercurius and Philologia$.
8i&idius 7i&ulus #fl. 01+B1 )/E$, De Extis #On Entrails$.
/icero #110+4< )/E$, De Divinatione #On Divination$.
/icero, De aruspicum !esponsis #On the "ns#ers of the aruspices$.
Pliny #2C+0C /E$, Naturalis istoria #Natural istor$$.
.eneca #c. 4 )/E+0B /E$, %uaestiones Naturales #Natural %uestions$.
Secondary Sources
(. ). @an 3er Meer, The &ron'e Liver of Piacen'a, Amsterdam' I. /. 6ieben, 1M5C.
M. Pallottino, The Etruscans, tr. I. /remona, ed. by 3avid "id&eway, )loomin&ton'
!ndiana Dniversity Press, 1MCB.
6. H (. )onfante, The Etruscan Language( "n Introduction, 8ew For*' 8ew For*
Dniversity Press, 1M5<.
A. ". Halliday, )ree* Divination( " +tud$ of its Methods and Principles, (ondon'
Macmillan, 1M1<.
6. (uc*, "rcana Mundi, )altimore' Iohns Hop*ins Dniversity Press, 1M5B.
/. 9. %hulin, Die etrus*ische Dis'iplin, Part II( Die aruspi'in, 6otebor&es Ho&es*olas
Arss*rifter 12,1M10.
/. /lemen, Die !eligion der Etrus*er, 1M<0.
A. .. Pease, M- Tulli Ciceronis De Divinatione li.ri duo, 1M21+1M2<.