ÀUGURI. — Roman priests skilled in divination who, from the species, flight, number, and song of birds, interpreted the divine will, both in private affairs, through the private a., which soon disappeared and are little known, and in public affairs, through the public a.; their college, one of the four major priestly colleges, is traced back to Romulus or Numa.
The task of the a., whose etymology modern scholars derive from avis rather than augere, was to delimit the templum for the auspices in the Auguraculum in arce, on the Capitoline, to inaugurate sacred buildings and persons, and to establish and supervise the pomerium. Until 300 B.C. it seems to have consisted of five patrician members. The Ogulnian Law of that year, opening the college to plebeians, raised their number to nine, which was subsequently increased to fifteen and sixteen. The office was held for life and was not forfeited for any reason. The replacement of members took place by co-optation, until the Domitian Law of 103 B.C. prescribed election by the assemblies. Since the college had neither a seat nor a magister, it met in the house of an a. and was presided over by the oldest member (Cicero, De Senect., 18, 64). Among the activities of the a., whose insignia were the lituus, used to delimit the templum, and the purple-and-scarlet trabea, the most notable were the augurium salutis, the amburbium, and the augurium canarium. But the political importance of the college derived from its function as the official interpreter of the public auspices, excluding military auspices, since the initiative in taking the auspices (spectio) belonged to the civil magistrate. Whenever, because of any defect in the auspices, the validity of a legal act was challenged, the college of the a. was consulted. Indeed, to avoid such inconveniences, at least by the end of the Republic, the magistrate was assisted by
one or more a.; in this way they assumed functions originally foreign to their office, which under the Empire became purely honorary.
Cities of Italy and of the provinces had colleges of a., whose office was held for life but could be forfeited through condemnation. They wore the toga praetexta, sat at public spectacles among the decuriones, were exempt, along with their sons, from military service, and had the sole responsibility of resolving doubts concerning auspices.