Pullularius
Encyclopedia
The pullularius was the keeper of chicken
s used in alectryomancy
, a form of public augur
y in ancient Rome
. It was the job of the pullularius to throw food for the chickens, and shake the basket they were in, if need be, to get them to emerge. The cockerels were consulted by military leaders as a predictor of fortune.
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
s used in alectryomancy
Alectryomancy
Alectryomancy is a form of divination in which the diviner observes a bird, several birds pecking at grain that the diviner has scattered on the ground...
, a form of public augur
Augur
The augur was a priest and official in the classical world, especially ancient Rome and Etruria. His main role was to interpret the will of the gods by studying the flight of birds: whether they are flying in groups/alone, what noises they make as they fly, direction of flight and what kind of...
y in ancient Rome
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
. It was the job of the pullularius to throw food for the chickens, and shake the basket they were in, if need be, to get them to emerge. The cockerels were consulted by military leaders as a predictor of fortune.