The augur was a priest and official in the classical Roman world. His main role was the practice of augury (meaning to talk or to tell), interpreting the will of the gods or Roman deities by studying the flight of birds: whether they are flying in groups or alone, what noises they make as they fly, direction of flight and what kind of birds they are.

This was known as “taking the auspices.”

The ceremony and function of the augur was central to any major undertaking in Roman society—public or private—including matters of war, commerce, and religion.

The Roman historian Livy stresses the importance of the augurs: as he quotes and says; “Who does not know that this city was founded only after taking the auspices, that everything or every event, let it be in war and in peace, at home, giving birth, naming of the new born babies and abroad, was done only after taking the auspices?”

The role of the augur was that of consulting and interpreting the will of gods about some course of action such as accession of kings to the throne, of magistrates and major sacerdotes to their functions (inauguration) and all public enterprises.  The ascertaining of the will of gods through observation of the sky and of birds.

A hierarchy among signs was devised: e.g. a sign from the eagle would prevail on that from the woodpecker and the ossifragae (parra).

In the services of the Roman gods (deities) which took place in the Roman temple, divination was done to consult the gods of Rome, and the astrogical design of the Roman calendar was used to locate the time and seasons in which sacrifices must be offered to gods of Rome.

The rituals of consulting the gods, interpreting of omens, events, prediction of the future, the cultural events of celebrating birtdays, feasts (festivals) was always related to the astrogical location of the temple where the gods are worhiped, the sacrifices given in the temple and astrogical design of the Roman calendar were all a reflection of the will of the Roman gods.