The Diviners of the Late Old Babylonian Period (c. 1711–1595 B.C.E.)

• Applicant: Nathan Steinmeyer, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Egyptology and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 579447913

The role of the diviner was a critical component of the ancient Near Eastern Weltanschauung. It formed a tie through which the human and divine realms could communicate, much like the prophets of the Hebrew Bible. As a result, divination was heavily utilized in matters relating to politics and war, but it was also used for decision-making in mundane matters. Despite the importance of divination within the ancient Near East, studies have tended to focus on the scholarly features of divination, such as the extensive compendium of omens and their meanings recorded during the first millennium BCE. When studies on the practitioners of divination have been conducted, they have often focused on diviners within single locations, often large urban centers. Although informative, the conclusions of such studies have been limited by their own scope, which often presents the diviners in a singular, static context. Instead, this study will analyze the social position and function of diviners across the entire kingdom of Babylon during the Late Old Babylonian period (1711–1595 BCE). This spatial-temporal scope enables the study of diviners within many different contexts resulting from their geographic, economic, and political positions, while minimizing the effect of temporal evolution upon the societal role and position (i.e., how society interacts with their procession and what status they have within society as a result). This study will be carried out by systematically collecting all published material from the period and culling it for references to – and information about – diviners, a task that many currently available databases will aid. Next, the study will contextualize the activities and interactions of the diviners within their various settings. Finally, these contextualized details can be compared to identify all external or internal factors that might affect the diviners’ social position and function.

• DFG Programme: Position