THE BRONTOSCOPIC CALENDAR
Etruscan divination by thunder and lightning was famed, and a relevant text has survived in a Byzantine translation (Lydus On Omens 27-38; Turfa 2006c; Domenici & Maderna 2007).
A lost Etruscan document, translated into Latin by the scholar Publius Nigidius Figulus (ca. 100-45 BCE), a friend of Cicero, was translated into Greek by Lydus who attributed it to Tages and Tarchon. The original was probably synthesized by persons familiar with several Mesopotamian omen texts, such as the Summa alu, Summa izbu, Enuma anu Enlil, and so on (Turfa 2007, 2012). In an all-purpose, schematic calendar of twelve thirty-day months, omens are listed “if it thunders...”. Many are simple, geared to an agricultural society, but several can only fit an urbanized, Etruscan world, as they refer to slavery, civil strife, freewheeling women and commoners, for instance:June 1 If it should thunder, there will be an abundance of fruits, with the exception of barley; but dangerous diseases will be inflicted upon
bodies.
June 2 If it should thunder, women in labour will have an easy delivery, but there will be abortion of cattle, yet there will be an abundance of fish.
July 5 If it should thunder, there will be an abundance of grain, yet it is the downfall of a virtuous ruler.
July 6 If it should thunder, it threatens death-bearing diseases to the fortunes of slaves.
July 23 If it should thunder, the dissension of the common people will come to an end.
August If it should thunder, the women and the servile class will dare to 19 undertake murders.
More on the topic THE BRONTOSCOPIC CALENDAR:
- THE BRONTOSCOPIC CALENDAR
- FOREIGN INFLUENCE IN THE LATE IRON AGE-ARCHAIC PERIOD
- SURVIVAL OF ETRUSCAN RELIGION
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
- THE LORE OF THUNDER AND LIGHTNING
- THE ETRUSCAN PANTHEON
- LITERARY SOURCES
- Publius Clodius Pulcher
- Bredholt Christensen Lisbeth, Hammer Olav, Warburton David. The Handbook of Religions in Ancient Europe. Acumen,2013. — 456 p., 2013