Back to Home Page or Contents
Page or Divination or Index
Cleromancy
A system of divination
practiced by throwing black and white beans, small bones or dice, and perhaps,
stones, anything, in short, that could be used for lots. A similar practice
such as cleromancy was practiced in Egypt as well as in Rome.
The Triaean lots had a similar meaning as objects in cleromancy, being little
more than dicing. However the objects bore particular marks or characters,
and were consecrated to Mercury, who was regarded as the patron of this method of divination.
It was for this reason an olive leaf called "the lot of Mercury"
was usually placed in the urn to petition his favor. A.G.H.
Source: 9.