Part lecture, part hands-on, part discussion, this class examines augury, dreams, lots, oracles, and other forms of divination practiced in the Roman Empire including contemporary Egyptian, Jewish, and Christian methods. Divination was an integral part of civic and daily life. It was how the gods communicated their wishes to the people and how the people could stay in right relationship with the gods. Because the Romans were tolerant of other beliefs and their culture was so vast, they adopted and spread ideas from many cultures throughout the East and West. Many of these practices survive to this day in modified form. Learn about these popular forms of divination. Discuss early Roman views on speaking with the gods/God and share your own. Create your own dice oracles based on Roman counterparts. Includes handouts of Biblical and Dead Sea Scroll references to divination and a chart for creating a dice oracle using works by Virgil or Homer.