The History of Dream Interpretation in Antiquity

The idea that great events are foretold by dreams is a constant theme in literature. If dreams can tell us what's going to happen, we want to get some of those prophetic dreams, right? Presumably on the assumption that we will be able to act on the information given in the dream and avoid looming perils before they arrive. Well, there is a very ancient, very long tradition of magical practices specifically devoted to obtaining dreams.