Capnomancy — divination by smoke — is one of the oldest fire-based oracular arts. Practitioners threw oily seeds such as poppy or sesame onto burning coals and observed the behaviour of the rising smoke.
Thick, rising smoke that curled toward the seer foretold favourable outcomes; thin, scattered smoke warned of obstacles. If the smoke dispersed before reaching the observer, the question was considered unanswerable.
The practice was widespread across ancient Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome, often performed at temple altars as part of sacrificial rites. Medieval grimoires preserved detailed instructions for capnomantic readings.