Prophecies
Omens * Auguries * Divination * Oracles * Dreams * Apocalypse
Published on 30. April 2026
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-0-500-02963-3 (ISBN)
Description
How we search for meaning in our futures, as revealed by the divine, occult or supernatural, from ancient prophets to the end of days.
What will happen to us next? From the earliest beginnings of human civilization, people have searched for signs, patterns and clues to address the last unanswerable question. Looking into the future has obsessed human beings since written records began. As soon as communities could conceive of higher powers, they tried to look into the future. Prophets and priests have delivered divine messages. Shamans and seers have channelled spirits and interpreted visions, portents, revelations and omens.
This unique and richly illustrated volume reveals the long history of the future in every human society - from Egyptian oracles, Roman augurs and Aztec omens, to Japanese divination and the active magic of Norse seers. It traces the parallels in different traditions and cultures, exploring the signs and images found in antique documents, rare books, imaginative projections and divinatory paraphernalia.
The nine chapters explore extraordinary oracles from ancient Greece and western Africa, to Mesopotamia and the mountains of Tibet; we discover omens, portents and auspicious signs in indigenous societies in Asia; meet the Zoroastrian priests of Iran and astrologers of China; share dreams and visions from Australia to North America; and finally reckon with the many predictions of the end of the world, from ancient days to our present moment.
What will happen to us next? From the earliest beginnings of human civilization, people have searched for signs, patterns and clues to address the last unanswerable question. Looking into the future has obsessed human beings since written records began. As soon as communities could conceive of higher powers, they tried to look into the future. Prophets and priests have delivered divine messages. Shamans and seers have channelled spirits and interpreted visions, portents, revelations and omens.
This unique and richly illustrated volume reveals the long history of the future in every human society - from Egyptian oracles, Roman augurs and Aztec omens, to Japanese divination and the active magic of Norse seers. It traces the parallels in different traditions and cultures, exploring the signs and images found in antique documents, rare books, imaginative projections and divinatory paraphernalia.
The nine chapters explore extraordinary oracles from ancient Greece and western Africa, to Mesopotamia and the mountains of Tibet; we discover omens, portents and auspicious signs in indigenous societies in Asia; meet the Zoroastrian priests of Iran and astrologers of China; share dreams and visions from Australia to North America; and finally reckon with the many predictions of the end of the world, from ancient days to our present moment.
Reviews / Votes
'A rich salmagundi of bizarre ideas and absorbing illustrations' - The SpectatorMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Illustrations
399 Illustrations, color
Dimensions
Height: 261 mm
Width: 213 mm
Thickness: 35 mm
Weight
1178 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-500-02963-3 (9780500029633)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Christopher Dell holds a degree in the History of Art from the Courtauld Institute, London. He has written and edited many bestselling titles on art and visual culture, including Freemasonry, Mythology, Monsters, What Makes a Masterpiece? and The Occult, Witchcraft & Magic, all published by Thames & Hudson.