Greek Sacrifice Research Paper

Words: 285
Pages: 2

Sacrifice was the center of most ancient Greek festivals. Sacrifice is basically a ritual and process where a non-sacred object is given to a deity as a gift, and these sacrifices often take place at these types of festivals (Mikalson 2009, 61). Sacrifice comes from the Latin word ‘sacer-facere’ which means to ‘make sacred’ (Mikalson 2009, 61). We use the term sacrifice to indicate a ritual where food or drink is given to a deity and in that way it is ‘made sacred’ (Mikalson 2009, 61). There is a common misconception about Greek sacrifice, one that states that it was just the killing of animals for the gods, which is actually not true in the eyes of the Greeks (Mikalson 2009, 61). Sacrifice for them consisted of a ritual, one with many steps.