Diversity of Sacrifice: Form and Function of Sacrificial Practices in the Ancient World and BeyondCarrie Ann Murray The term "sacrifice" belies what is a complex and varied transhistorical and transcultural phenomenon. Bringing together scholars from such diverse fields as anthropology, archaeology, epigraphy, literature, and theology, Diversity of Sacrifice explores sacrificial practices across a range of contexts from prehistory to the present. Incorporating theory, material culture, and textual evidence, the volume seeks to consider new and divergent data related to contexts of sacrifice that can help broaden our field of vision while raising new questions. The essays contributed here move beyond reductive and simple explanations to explore complex areas of social interaction. Sacrifice plays a key role in the overlapping sacred and secular spheres for a number of societies in the past and present. How religious beliefs and practices can be integral parts of life on individual and community levels is of fundamental importance to understanding the past and present. In addition to aiding scholarly research, Diversity of Sacrifice enables students to explore this rich theme across Europe and the Mediterranean with clear discussions of theory and data. |
Contents
1 | |
Defining and Redefining the Boundaries of Sacrifice | 13 |
Sacrifice across the Mediterranean World | 85 |
Exploring Exceptional Cases of Sacrifice | 169 |
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Common terms and phrases
Abydos Alt Empordŕ altar ancient animal sacrifice anthropology archaeological Area Alpha artifacts Athenian Bandkeramik biblical bog bodies bones Bonghi Jovino Bremmer Brichto Bronze Age burials Burkert Cambridge Carthage Carthaginian Castellar century B.C.E. Chiaramonte Treré Chicago child Christian Civita Colominas consumption context cult culture deity depositions Detienne discussion divine documented drachmas early edited elements Etruscan evidence example excavation Figure foxhunting fragments Girard Girona gods Greek Hebrew Herxheim human sacrifice hunt iconography images individuals infants inscription interpretation Iron Age Jesus’s death killing material meat Mesolithic mounted foxhunting Neolithic offerings Oxford Painter participants perspective Pons Pontós pottery priest Religion religious remains rite Roman sacred sacrificed sacrificial practices Schwartz Septuagint sheep skeletal Smith social society Stager statue menhirs Straten structures symbolic Tanit Tarquinia temple Tophet tradition translation University Press vases Vernant vessels victim violence votive Walter Burkert Yahweh Yde Girl Zeeb-Lanz