Marine History: Bad omen chickens
In the past, humans weren’t the only ones that travelled at sea, animals did too.
Most of the animals on boats were simply being transported from one region to another, but some were kept as companions, others to ward off mice, and others, like chickens, were used to predict the outcome of battles. Essentially, if they ate, victory was to be expected.
There is a case when this omen was ignored in history, though, and that was by the consul and Roman general, Publius Claudius Pulcher. Given the command of the Roman fleet during the First Punic War, he ignored a bad omen when the sacred chickens refused to eat, instead, throwing them overboard and reportedly saying “Let them drink then.” As predicted, he lost the Battle of Drepana against the Carthaginians in 249BCE, and his fleet was nearly wiped out — losing 93 of his 123 vessels. It was the only serious Roman naval defeat of the War.
After being recalled to Rome, his nomination of his subordinate, Marcus Claudius Glicia to be dictator was overruled. Claudius was tried for incompetence and treason and was heavily fined, dying soon after. While his cause of death is unknown, many historians suspect it was suicide. Moral of the story? Don’t ignore a bad omen.
Image caption: Claudius ordering the chickens be thrown overboard.