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In Ancient Greece, a Hecatomb (ἑκατόμβη). ) was the sacrifice to the gods of 100 cattle (hecaton = one hundred)..
A word whose original meaning was a sacrifice of a hundred oxen; but in early times it was applied generally to any great sacrifice, without any idea either of oxen or definite number
In the Iliad hecatombs are described in a formulaic way. Here is one example.
Iliad Book 3
Noble heralds fetched the offerings,
to ratify their solemn oaths pledged to the gods.
They prepared wine in the mixing bowl, then poured water
over the kings' hands. Atreus' son drew out the dagger
which always hung beside his sword's huge scabbard
and sliced hairs off lambs' heads. Attendants passed these hairs
among the leaders of the Trojans and Achaeans.
Raising his hands, Agamemnon then intoned
a mighty prayer on their behalf:
"Father Zeus,
ruling from Mount Ida, most glorious,
most powerful, and you, too, god of the sun,
who sees everything, hears everything,
you rivers, earth, you gods below the earth, -
who punish the dead when men swear false oaths,
you gods are witnesses. Keep this oath firm.
If Alexander slays Menelaus,
let him keep Helen, all her property.
Let us return in our sea-worthy ships.
But if red-haired Menelaus kills Alexander,
then let the Trojans hand back Helen,
with all her property, and compensate
Achaeans with something suitable,
which future ages will remember.
If Alexander's killed and Priam
and Priam's children are unwilling
to reimburse me, then I'll remain here,
fight on until I'm fully satisfied,
until I end this war appropriately."
So Agamemnon prayed. With his bronze dagger,
he slit the lambs' throats and placed them on the ground,
gasping in their death throes as their life ebbed out,
their spirit sliced away by Agamemnon's knife.
Next from the mixing bowl, they drew off wine in cups
and poured libations to the deathless gods.
See
Thysia (Sacrifice)
| Ancient Greece
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