Casting Lots

#lot-casting, #cleromancy, #divination, #chance, #random #gamestudies, #religion #play This thesis maps the cultivation of chance by analyzing the practice of casting lots as a cultural technique from the perspective of game studies. A “lot” is commonly understood as a random decision maker like a coin-flip or drawing the short end of a stick as in a simple “lottery”. According to Roger Caillois, humans uniquely play with chance (ALEA), while his other play categories of competition (AGÔN), pretending (MIMICRY) and intoxication (ILINX) are also observed among animals. This thesis questions the academic status quo that the original use of casting lots evolved from divination practices called “cleromancy”. Instead, this thesis argues that an ‘aleatory culture’ using numerals preceded the development of scripture. The thesis first analyses the characteristics of play, divination and decision making, then the physical and performative qualities of objects used as lots and lastly presents a historical analysis what „objects of thought“ (Hacking) concerning ideas of chance have been presented in ancient literature. Humanity’s oldest written myths already describe the highest Gods casting lots to divide the universe, without having any control over chance nor fate. Instead, this represented common Mesopotamian inheritance law for division of property. Through a playful and seemingly useless process of “casting without aim” or “shaking a quiver” of arrows, we learned to generate quantitative outcomes (Salen & Zimmerman) for random selection or distribution by an unbiased source. Linking chance to fairness enabled to forge strong communal trust, while the „ SACRED EARNEST” (Huizinga) to honor and uphold rules had the casting of lots evolve into cultural institutions that were eventually attributed divine powers. The Greek word for lot “κλῆρος“ is also the etymological root of “cleric”. A media revolution of trust in scripture had brought forth new literate theological elites who labeled all unwanted pagan practices as divination, especially concerning conscious randomization. “Cleromancy” would since remain common terminology, in need of revision.