What is Sacrifice?
Sacrifice was an important part of Ancient Roman religion (and many other religions in the ancient world). The word itself means ‘to make sacred’ (from the Latin sacrificium: sacr “sacred” + facere, “to make”). The most commonly recognized form of sacrifice involved ritual killing of either animals or even humans to specific deities or for various ritualistic purposes; however these were just one way in which sacrifice can and did take place. Other forms of ritual sacrifice involved offerings of food and drink, personal belongings, and even such things as hair, blood, or fingernails in some cases. Many modern discussions on sacrifice are quickly derailed because the meaning of the word and the various ways in which it worked in antiquity are either ignored or overlooked; this lack of understanding or oversight then colours discussion of sacrifice – especially animal sacrifice. Because animal sacrifice is such a contentious topic, it is worth mentioning that animal sacrifice does not ne
