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Notes on Some Technical Terms in Extispicy

The present study grew in part out of an attempt to establish the existence of certain principles of prognostication in extispicy. Its aim is to define and trace the evolution of some terms, attested in omen texts from the Old Babylonian to the Seleucid periods. Since unpublished materials dealing with these terms were unavailable to me, the present study is based entirely on texts which have been known for some time. Nevertheless, the published materials are sufficiently representative so as to allow certain conclusions concerning the terms under consideration. These terms are part of a group designated by Nougayrol 'signes speciaux.' A study of these and related terms had been promised by Nougayrol for some time,2 and some of his views on this matter are alluded to in his numerous studies of Mesopotamian divination. However, a full review has not seen print as yet. Two intriguing terms attested as apodoses in Old Babylonian omen texts are pitrustu and nanmurtu. When associated with the pair nawiru-taraku (i.e., light/dark coloring of an organ), for example, these two are the opposite sides of the same coin: a pitrustu occurs as an apodosis when an ominous organ is said to be dark in color (tarik) on its right and on its left; a nanmurtu occurs as an apodosis when an ominous organ is said to be light in color (nawir) on its right and on its left.3