Importance Of Ritual Sacrifice

Sacrifice- in today’s culture, the word is rarely associated with something positive. You might think of a human sacrifice or giving up something you really want to keep. However, in ancient greek culture, ritual sacrifice (although the act wasn’t particularly good) had a positive connotation because of the benefits for the individual and the community the sacrifice was happening for. The importance of ritual sacrifice to ancient Greece is displayed by the passage from the Odyssey in which“... the people of Pylos were gathered on the sea shore to offer sacrifice of black bulls to Neptune lord of the Earthquake. There were nine guilds with five hundred men in each, and there were nine bulls to each guild... they were eating the inward meats and burning the thigh bones [on the embers] in the name of Neptune…” (Homer, 3). Further back than the seventh or eighth century B.C. there are written records of the sacrifice of such animals as bulls, pigs, and sheep in ancient Greece. Sacrifice is not usually Ritual sacrifice played a key role in greek culture and society because it greatly affected social life, captured some of the key beliefs and ideas that the Greeks valued, and influenced some of the most famous Greek myths.

Sacrifice was a very important part of social life due to the ties it formed with the Gods, the public gatherings it caused, and the common practice as something that the Greeks used to benefit or gain. The Gods were treated as members of society rather than untouchable divines, seen through the behavior of the people- glorifying the deities but treating them more like people than other ancient religions of the time. The whole animal was not given, rather the thighbones, the rest was eaten by the worshippers, and ...

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...ng the community together and testifying to the closeness of the Greek people to their home and community. Sacrifice was treated with respect and honor, because of its sacredness to the Greeks, and indeed, its influence was far reaching in the culture of ancient Greece.

Because of the showcase of beliefs that the Greeks admired, the influence on Greek mythology, and collective public impact, sacrifice played a key role in Greek culture. From centuries back from B.C., we see a devotedness and attentiveness in the Greek religion and culture, and a great deal of that devotedness can be attributed to ritual sacrifice, and how it united the ancient Greeks, no matter where they were. So, even with a practice many hold in a negative connotation, it can still bring together the public, display values that we still respect, and affect the greatest works of the ancient world.