OMENS (HISTORICAL)

The scrutiny of everyday occurrences (e.g., weather patterns) as well as geographical, astronomical, and even social behavior for the purposes of eliciting warnings about impending disasters was a veritable science in Mesopotamia. It was considered a means of deciphering divine communications, which were encoded in a great variety of phenomena. The written records of earlier Mesopotamian kings were also studied as relevant case studies for ominous events. The famous kings of the Akkad period were especially scrutinized; Sargon of Akkad was interpreted as a ruler blessed by the gods, but Naram-Sin evoked more negative associations.

See also ASTROLOGY/ASTRONOMY.