Omens and Oracles in the Court of Esarhaddon

In this video, I will delve into the story of king Esarhaddon in an effort to highlight some of the ways ancient Mesopotamians used the practice of divination. Sources: Ann M. Weaver. “The ‘Sin of Sargon’ and Esarhaddon’s Reconception of Sennacherib: A Study in Divine Will, Human Politics and Royal Ideology.” Iraq 66 (2004): 61–66. Aro, Jussi., Parpola, Simo. Queries to the Sungod: Divination and Politics in Sargonid Assyria. Finland: Helsinki University Press, 1990. Cooley, Jeffrey L. “Celestial Divination in Esarhaddon’s Aššur A Inscription.” Journal of the American Oriental Society 135, no. 1 (2015): 131–47. Elayi, Josette. Esarhaddon, King of Assyria. ISD LLC, 2023. Koch, Ulla Susanne. “Sheep and sky: Systems of divinatory interpretation.“ (2011). Radner, Karen. “Royal decision-making: kings, magnates, and scholars.“ (2011). Radner, Karen.