divination, omens, and seers

[Gauntlet]

I was wondering if anyone knows of any good books that contain information on divination and omens used by Alexander. Thanks

[marcus]

The best sources I could recommend would be the original Greek and Roman sources - particularly Arrian and Curtius. Other than that, there must be a book on ancient divination, but I don't know of one off the top of my head.
All the best
Marcus

[Tre]

http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/astdiv/

Try this site on ancient divination. Alexander's primary seer was Aristander.

[John]

Tre,
I have a feeling Alexander himself was a good seer (note Demosthenes' telling the Greeks they had nothing to worry about from Alexander, since he would be kept too busy in Macedonia keeping watch over the omens) and he mainly used Aristander for confirmation of his own views. (After all, Aristander was the "best man" for the job, Aristander meaning "best man" in Greek.)
I could go into how Zeus still gives out omens (which can act as warnings, too), like at the closing ceremonies at the Olympics, using the Wizard of Oz (Olympian Zeus?); singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow, while *Dorothy* Hamill ice skates, and the curtain is pulled on Donnie and Marie *Os*mond, who were moving those extinct dinosaurs around. -- And, speaking of Demosthenes, wasn't that him in Lost in Space, as Dr. Smith, listening to that Warning! Warning! all the time from that damn robot? Watch out for that b*ram*ble bush! I think he was abducted...
John

[John]

...In case you didn't get that bramble bush thing, Demosthenes was said to be the first to flee at the battle of Chaironea. While doing so, he caught his cloak on a bramble bush, and turned around screaming, "Take me alive!" They must have got that Dr. Smith character from the TV show Lost in Space from Demosthenes!
OK I'll shut up
John