Sacrifice

Many societies in various parts of the world and at different times have practiced animal or human sacrifice or both. One of the best-known examples in the Old World is the Mesopotamian city of Ur's Royal Cemetery. The Vedic and Hindu religions of India also have a complicated system of sacrifice. In the New World, the practice of animal and human sacrifice was an aspect of almost all Mesoamerican cultures and dates back into the early Formative Period, c 6000-4800 BC. The extreme expression of sacrifice occurs in the Post-Classic, especially under the Aztec, whose perception of the universe as a continuing battle between the forces of generation and destruction made sacrifice a prerequisite for the continuation of the world. Sacrifice is fundamentally a religious act that has been of profound significance to individuals and social groups throughout history.

Many societies at different times and in various parts of the world have practised animal or human sacrifice, or both. In the Old World one of the best-known and most spectacular examples comes from the Mesopotamian city of Ur, where the Royal Cemetery provided several examples: Grave 800 (Queen Puabi’s grave) contained the remains of 11 sacrificed retainers; Grave 789 contained 63 sacrificed men and women, while Grave 1237 (the ‘Great Death Pit’) yielded no fewer than 74 (6 men and 68 women). See also Anyang. In the New World the practice of animal and human sacrifice was an aspect of almost all Mesoamerican cultures, varying from the relatively mild perforation to ritual slaughter on a grand scale. Dating well back into the early Formative Period, decapitated skeletal remains at El Riego (see Tehuacan Valley) can be seen as one of its earliest occurrences (c6000-4800 be). More recent artefactual and iconographic evidence is abundant, as at Tomb 2, Mound E-III-3 at Kaminauuyu, the temples and ball court at El Tajin, the Bonampak murals and the ball court at Tula (sacrifice connected with the ball game seems to become increasingly important with the passing of time). The extreme expression of sacrifice occurs in the Post-Classic, especially under the Aztec, whose perception of the universe as a continuing battle between the forces of generation and destruction made sacrifice a prerequisite for the continuation of the world. So much so that in the mid-14th century, the so-called ‘Flowery Wars’ were instituted in which battles with other states (notably Tlaxcala) were set up by appointment; the sole aim was to provide captives for Many sacrifices, however, were regulated by astronomical events or by a calendar which was studded with dangerous or critical moments. Every year had five unlucky days and a major catastrophic event was likely every 52 years; even the daily rising of the sun could only be assured by human Aztec sacrifice took many forms. The most common was the opening of the chest with a stone knife and the rapid removal of the still beating heart. An astounding 20,000 victims were despatched in this way in the four days of the dedication of the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan. The prescribed method in rituals connected with the god Xipe Totec (god of spring and renewal) was flaying. Captured warriors were often engaged in ritual combat in which they were severely handicapped (for instance, by being shackled or blindfolded). Recently, scholars have theorized that the practice had a pragmatic rather than religious basis. Most notable among these theories are the use of sacrifice as an instrument of political terror (R.C. Padden) and the eating of human flesh as a dietary supplement (Michael Hamer).