402 I'.AXTL" MKTlKiDS OF DIVINATION'. 



toise (['late 8. Sekukuni and Malab(^cli ) --hdirKl fall in thf 

 anieriur position with the dorsal aspect when the diviner seeks 

 information regardinfj- the weather, the interpretation would be, 

 " It is going to rain," because, to quote a native ])roverb, " The 

 tortoise only K'alks zchen it rains/' 



The use of astragali in divination can be traced back into 

 the dim ages of the past, and indeed, they appear to be the 

 earliest form of " autoscope "" known. According to Cicero, 

 the Corcyraeans ]3resented to the tem])le at Dodona' "a metal 

 'basin with a statue of a man placed over it. in the hand of 

 which was a brazen scourge oi three thongs, from which small 

 bones (na-rpdyaXoL ) were suspended, which, being moved 

 by the wind, struck against the l)asin.' and thus ]M"oduced sounds 

 " of prophetic import."^" 



Angelo AIosso refers to the system as follows : — 



■' In the articulation of the toot there is a cuboid bone ternu-d 

 astragalus, used by the ancients for play like dice, and also for the pur- 

 pose of divination, l-'ig. 30 shows some astragali of oxen and sheep 

 from the excavations of Phsstos. I found some at Canatella, near 

 Girgenti," in a cultus site, and this is important, for astragali were used 

 in the neolithic period, and are connected with the primitive Italic 

 religion, which accounts for their l)eing discovered in great numbers near 

 the Lapis Niger in the excavations of the Roman Forum.'"" 



These (|Uotations, taken from a large number of records, 

 ancient and motlern. should sttffice to show that there is more 

 than a j^assing interest to be gained from a closer study of this 

 primitive method of divination. 



It is well known that dice used for play owe their origin 

 to huckle-bones. Their evolution from astragali took place very 

 early in history, and probabK- coincided with some advance in 

 civilization and culture. There are several sets of dice from 

 early Kgyi)tian tombs in the British Museum, and some of these 

 are identical in form and marking with the i^attern in use in 

 our own day.'' 



Side by side with ihc transition from the use of natural 

 bones to artificially- ft)rmed cul)es of ixory in the games of the 

 ancients there ai>i)ears t(t have been a similar development in the 

 substitution oi 



1\■(<K^ Tahlets 



for ))urposes of dixinaiidii. This system of divination is de- 

 scribed by I'jinemoser inider ihe title of L'leromancy. 'df' 



a kind of divination |)cn'onnril hy the tbriwing of dice or little bones, 

 and observing tlu- pujnts m|- mark-; lurned np. 



and he goes on to say that 



" Autoscope = instrument by w Inch the inspirations of the seer are 

 automatically recordeil or brou^lit 1m liudu. (7.. Sir W. F. Barrett, 

 " Psychical Research." 28. 



"Cicero. " l)e Divinatioiie." .^4. j(). (pioted in .Smitli's "Dictionary of 

 Greek and Lalin .\nti(|uities." 3rd ed.. 2, jjij. 



""Monumenti antichi." 18. -"^8. 



'■* A. Mosso. "Dawn <>\ Mediti. ("i\il." 67. 



" C^ " I larniswnrth Iukv cinp.i'dia." 3. '^'M • bi which specimens are 

 figured. 



