1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910455285203321

Autore

Hughes Dennis D. <1951, >

Titolo

Human sacrifice in ancient Greece / / Dennis D. Hughes

Pubbl/distr/stampa

London ; ; New York : , : Routledge, , 1991

ISBN

1-134-96639-3

1-280-33113-5

0-203-03283-7

0-203-32665-2

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (317 p.)

Disciplina

393

Soggetti

Human sacrifice - Greece

Electronic books.

Greece Religion

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Revision of the author's thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 1986.

Reprinted 2000.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Cover; Title; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Preface; Abbreviations; 1 Sacrifice and ritual killing: terminology and types; 2 Archaeological evidence; 3 Funerary ritual killing in Greek literature and history; 4 Human sacrifice in Greek myth, cult,  and history; 5 The pharmakos and related rites; 6 Strangers in a strange land: the Locrian maiden tribute; 7 Conclusion; Appendix A Cut marks and mass burials; Appendix B Pylos tablet Tn 316; Notes; Bibliography; Index locorum; Subject index

Sommario/riassunto

Numerous ancient texts describe human sacrifices and other forms of ritual killing: in 480 BC Themistocles sacrifices three Persian captives to Dionysus; human scapegoats called pharmakoi are expelled yearly from Greek cities, and according to some authors they are killed; Locrin girls are hunted down and slain by the Trojans; on Mt Lykaion children are sacrificed and consumed by the worshippers; and many other texts report human sacrifices performed regularly in the cult of the gods or during emergencies such as war and plague. Archaeologists have frequently proposed human sacrifice as an exp