Omens or omens played a major role in the social experience of the inhabitants of Mesopotamia, hence the significant number of surviving sources of this literary genre.
People could not predict the decisions of the gods, but humanity did not remain without indications of the divine will. It was believed that the intentions of the gods are reflected or predicted by events on earth. The Babylonians, for example, believed that events in one part of the Universe (the Universe of Gods) were mirrored in another part of the Universe (the world of people). If a certain event follows another in time, then a random connection is possible, and it is possible to expect the same result of a similar event in another case. According to this view of the world, a list of phenomena with standard consequences was compiled, moreover, even something like a science arose that interpreted these events.
The types of phenomena in which omens could be seen could, in principle, be anything, but they can be conditionally divided into three groups:
Phenomena that are impossible without human participation (these include fortune-telling and divination)
Prophecies about common occurrences (dreams, animal behavior, etc.)
Astrology
But the question of the time of the origin of such predictions is discussed to this day. It is clear that some of them are quite ancient, appearing in the proto-writing period, possibly even earlier. Fortune-telling by the liver was already known in the Old Babylonian times, but astrology appeared somewhat later. It was especially important during the existence of the Assyrian Empire.
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Omens had a practical meaning: predicting misfortune was a warning, and using a certain ritual, a potential victim could ward off misfortune.
Sumerian omens are unknown to us, although, no doubt, they existed: in the surviving sources, references to them are not rare. Akkadian signs have come down to us, starting from the Old Babylonian period and later. In the Ashurbanipal library, about 30% of the surviving sources is this particular genre of literature.
Some of the more typical prophecies can be quoted. This list contains examples selected from a collection of texts known as "If the city is located on a hill …" (on the first line).
Completely this omen sounds like this: "If the city is located on a hill, it is not good for its inhabitants." And then - the antithesis: "If the city is located in a lowland, it is good for its inhabitants."
Further, the rest of the signs from this collection:
If a dead master of the house is seen in the house, his son will die. If a dead mistress of the house is seen in the house, the owner of the house will die.
If, when building a house, they see black ants on the foundation, the house will be built, the owner of the house will live in it until old age. If white ants are seen, the house will be destroyed. If yellow ants are seen, the foundation will collapse and the house will not be completed. If red ants are seen, then the owner will not die his own death.
If the snake is aggressive towards a person, grabs him, bites him, his opponent will see hard times.
If the snake crawls from the left side of the person to the right side, he will have a bad name. If the snake crawls from the right side to the left side, then the person will have a good name.
If the snake appears at the place where the husband and wife talk, then the man and woman will disperse.
If the snake does not stop crawling at the person's doorstep, then this house will collapse or be destroyed.
If a scorpion kills a snake in a person's house, that person's sons will kill him.
If a mongoose kills a snake in a man's house, it means a rich harvest of barley and silver.
If a snake falls from the ceiling onto a man and his wife, they will disperse.
If a scorpion is hiding in a person's bed, then that person will be rich.
If a scorpion / lizard stands at the head of a patient's bed, the disease will soon leave him.
If a person accidentally steps on a lizard and kills it, then he will prevail over his opponent.
If there are a lot of ants at the entrance to the big gate, crash the city.
If there are black winged ants in the city, there will be showers and floods.
If a bull has tears in both eyes, then evil lies in wait for its owner.
If a donkey is taken onto a person, that person will be sold for money or hard times will come for him.
If the donkey bears offspring, and the creature born has two heads, there will be a change on the throne.
If a horse enters a man's house and bites either a donkey or a man, the owner of the house will die and the farm will be taken away.
If a noble person rides in a chariot and falls after the chariot, this is a bad sign for him; the ruler will remove him from office.
If a person sees lizards mating and grabs them, but they do not separate, and he kills them, then the gossip will ruin him, and he will die of slander.
If a wild bull appears under the great gates, the enemy will surround the city.
If a fox runs into a square, that city will be devastated.
If God lies on a person's bed, then God is angry with him.
If a white dog urinates on a person, he will have a hard time. If a red dog urinates on a person, then he will be happy.
If a dog climbs a dog, women will indulge in lesbianism.
If the flood begins in the month of Nisan and the river is the color of blood, there will be diseases.
If a falcon eats a bird on the roof of a person's house and then drops it down, someone will die in that house.
There were recipes to combat the power of omens. But these rituals were performed by special clergy (mashmashu).
As for astrology, it can be divided into two types: astrology, close to modern, i.e. horoscopic (the belief that the fate of a person is determined by the position of the stars in the sky), as well as “judiciary” astrology is more extensive, which extended to natural phenomena. The latter was considered to be sent down from above, therefore, the "method of accepting" was also used in it. Some of them:
If the Sun is in the position of the Moon, the king of the country will be firmly seated on the throne. If the sun is above or below the moon, the foundations of the throne will be solid. The king of the country will rule and administer justice. If the sun and moon are invisible, the king of the country is to show wisdom.
If an earthquake occurs in the month of Nisan, the country will rebel against the king.
If in the month of Ab there is thunder, the day is cloudy, rain is pouring and lightning flashes, there will be a lot of water. If there is thunder on a cloudless day, the country will be dark. If water pours from heaven in the month of Ab, people will be killed. If the whirlwind comes from the west, people will be killed from the west.
If the thunder is thundering twice, the country that sent the enmity notification will send the peace notification.
Interestingly, a number of signs extended to the field of medicine. In essence, medicine in Babylonia was a mixture of superstition and a rational approach, which was expressed in empirical observation of the patient and a selection of methods of treatment.
If the door of the house where the sick person lies creaks, he has eaten the taboo of his god. He will drag out a miserable existence, and then he will die.
If the exorcist sees a large white pig, the person will survive. If he sees a black dog or a black pig, then the person will die.
If a sick person does not stop shouting: “My head! My head! is the hand of God.
If a person has a headache, then it is the hand of Adad
If the head hurts, the muscles in the face, arms, and legs are affected. This is the hand of God. The person will live.
If a person is covered with red pimples from head to toe and his body is white, he was amazed being in bed with a woman. This is the hand of the god Sin
If a person is puffy to the very temples and his ears do not hear, the hands of his god are laid on him. He will die.
If the penis is covered with sores, the person came into contact with the high priestess of the god.
If the upper part of a pregnant woman's forehead is white, then there is a daughter in her womb, she will be rich. If it is red, there is a boy in her womb and he will die.
If a child has a stomach ache and when he is given a breast he does not eat, this child was chosen by the witch.