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How did Hittite divination use bird flight, animal entrails, and symbolic tokens?
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Hittite divination was a systematic process used to identify the causes of divine displeasure and determine necessary expiations. Experts interpreted omens as either favorable or unfavorable, providing "yes" or "no" answers to specific questions through a process of elimination.1
The three primary methods included:
- Augury: Performed by a "bird-watcher," this involved observing the flight of birds.1
- Haruspicy: Conducted by a seer, this practice—inherited from Babylonian tradition—involved examining the entrails of sacrificial animals.1
- Symbolic Tokens: An enigmatic procedure practiced by an "old woman" that utilized tokens marked with symbolic names.1
While haruspicy was a science adopted from Babylonian seers, the methods of bird-watching and the use of symbolic tokens appear to have been indigenous to Asia Minor.1