haruspices

Haruspices were priests and diviners in ancient Etruria and Rome who interpreted omens by inspecting the entrails of sacrificed animals, principally the liver. The practice is known as extispicy (or hepatoscopy). The haruspex's task was to read signs in the organs and pronounce judgments about the will of the gods, which could influence public decisions as well as private concerns.

Originating in Etruscan religion, haruspicy was adopted into Roman state ritual. Haruspices could be drawn from priestly families and served in the service of magistrates and the senate. In official ceremonies they prepared sacrifices, examined the entrails, and reported omens, colors, shapes, and anomalies. Their readings covered a range of matters from military campaigns to legislative proposals, and they often worked alongside augurs who interpreted the will of the gods from birds.

Extispicy, particularly hepatoscopy of the liver, involved a repertory of signs associated with different liver regions and features. The best-known artefact illustrating the practice is the Piacenza Liver, a bronze model of a sheep's liver dating to the early Roman period, used as a teaching tool for haruspical interpretation. Texts and inscriptions from late antiquity mention haruspices and the procedures, though much of their ritual detail is lost to history.

Over time, Christianization and imperial reforms reduced the official role of haruspices. By late antiquity the practice had largely faded from public practice, surviving in literary references and later historical studies as part of the broader history of ancient divination.