HĂRUSPĬCES

or ĂRUSPĬCES ( ἱεροσκόποι ), soothsayers or diviners, who interpreted the will of the gods. They originally came to Rome from Etruria, whence haruspices were often sent for by the Romans on important occasions. The art of the haruspices resembled in many respects that of the augurs; but they never acquired that political importance which the latter po e ed, and were regarded rather as means for ascertaining the will of the gods than as po e ing any religious authority. They did not in fact form any part of the ecclesiastical polity of the Roman state during the republic; they are never called sacerdotes, they did not form a collegium, and had no magister at their head. The art of the haruspices, which was called haruspicina , consisted in explaining and interpreting the will of the gods from the appearance of the entrails ( ext a ) of animals offered in sacrifice, whence they are sometimes called ext i spices , and their art extispicium ; and also from lightning, earthquakes, and all extraordinary phenomena in nature, to which the general name of portent a was given. Their art is said to have been invented by the Etruscan Tages, and was contained in certain books called libri haruspicini , fulgurales , and tonitruales . This art was considered by the Romans so important at one time, that the senate decreed that a certain number of young Etruscans, belonging to the principal families in the state, should always be instructed in it. In later times, however, their art fell into disrepute among well-educated Romans; and Cicero relates a saying of Cato, that he wondered that one haruspex did not laugh when he saw another. The name of haruspex is sometimes applied to any kind of soothsayer or prophet. IMG:6459379820872971714_ill200a.jpg: Hastae, spears.