Alectryomancy

It is unknown exactly how long ago this form of mantic arts had been practiced, but can date it back to at least 300 AD with evidence given by Iamblichus, a Syrian Neoplatonist philosopher from Arabian origin.

[2] Alectryomancy was part of a deeply entrenched tradition among the Romans, where the chicken is used for all sorts of divination with the belief that the animal is a soothsayer.

For this reason, the chicken figured prominently in public policy since no major decision was made without using the animal in divination rites.

[4] The Roman chicken divination rituals were complex and conducted with an extraordinary level of organization unparalleled among the ancient civilizations that shared the same practice.

One of the earliest forms was developed by the Etruscans, who established an elaborate ritual of alectryomancy using a hen to find answers for life's most pressing problems.

[5] The process involved a circle, which was divided into twenty parts to represent the Etruscan alphabet and each sector was sprinkled with corn.