# What civilizations practiced human sacrifice? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 17, 2006, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-civilizations-practiced-human-sacrifice/340407 "2006-01-17T20:39:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-civilizations-practiced-human-sacrifice/340407/21 "2006-01-18T13:00:16Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > **betenoir** : > > If you look at my post, you’ll see that I cite Jephthah’s daughter as well as Isaac. Ah :smack: Managed to miss that. To busy going off to look up chapter and verse…and trying to remember that it was Jephathat’s daughter that I was thiking about. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-civilizations-practiced-human-sacrifice/340407/22 "2006-01-18T13:27:08Z")
> [@](#): > > To busy going off to look up chapter and verse…and trying to remember that it was Jephathat’s daughter that I was thiking about. It’s OK. I didn’t give the story, which I’ll bet isn’t well known these days. And you literally cited chapter and verse. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-civilizations-practiced-human-sacrifice/340407/23 "2006-01-18T17:42:15Z")
**TygerBryght** , I think your reply was a little uncalled for, and have opened up a [place to discuss that](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=7009771#post7009771). ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-civilizations-practiced-human-sacrifice/340407/24 "2006-01-18T17:49:25Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Aztecs did, and you can read all about it in the workd of anthropologists Michael Harner and Marvin Harris (In the latter’s case, in **Cannibals and Kings** and **Good to Eat** ). Another pretty decent book along those lines, is Hans Askenasy’s [_Cannibalism: From Sacrifice to Survival_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0879759062/qid=1137606520/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-7557828-9070235?s=books&v=glance&n=283155). ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-civilizations-practiced-human-sacrifice/340407/25 "2006-01-18T18:42:55Z")
> [@Good Egg](#): > > I have read about ones that sacrified to their god, Lucifer, with blood sacrifices. This goes on today with witches. I also read thats what abortion is, too, child sacrifice. Uh, no it doesn’t. Got a cite for that? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-civilizations-practiced-human-sacrifice/340407/26 "2006-01-18T18:57:59Z")
> [@Good Egg](#): > > I have read about ones that sacrified to their god, Lucifer, with blood sacrifices. This goes on today with witches. I also read thats what abortion is, too, child sacrifice. You have been misinformed, or believed fiction to be truth. > [@Derleth](#): > > I don’t know of any modern witch/wiccan/neopagan groups who practice any sort of sacrifice, animal or human. It would be very interesting for you to back up that claim with cites from an unbiased source. OTOH, you may go too far in the other direction, depending on who we’re grouping in with witch/wiccan/neopagan groups. If we’re including Ifa, Santeria and Voudoun, they do practice animal sacrifice even today, though not human. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-civilizations-practiced-human-sacrifice/340407/27 "2006-01-18T19:00:40Z")
Whether the Cartaginians sacrificed children as was contended by Roman writers is a matter of serious debate. The evidence is circumstantial at best. A cemetery of sorts in Carthage (knows as the tophet) was excavated in 1817, and housed the cremated remains of hundreds of young children. There’s no proof, though, that these were sacrificial victims. That’s simply a matter of conjecture. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-civilizations-practiced-human-sacrifice/340407/28 "2006-01-18T22:16:20Z")
> [@CJJ\*](#): > > Very true. Vestiges of human-sacrifice remained in the Roman religion well into the Empire, e.g the ritualized tossing of puppets ([Argei](http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/APO_ARN/ARGEI.html)) by the Vestal Virgins from the Suplician bridge on May 14th. Livy also notes that, during the Punic Wars, the Romans, at one point, sacrificed two Gauls and two Greeks, upon instructions given them in the Sybilline books. > [@](#): > > Meanwhile certain extraordinary sacrifices were performed, according to the directions of the books of the fates; among which a Gallic man and woman, and a Greek man and woman, were let down alive in the cattle market, into a place fenced round with stone, which had been already polluted with human victims, a rite by no means Roman And, of course, the gladitorial funeral games could be seen as a form of human sacrifice itself. The death of a gladiator in honor of the spirit of the dead man. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-civilizations-practiced-human-sacrifice/340407/29 "2006-01-18T22:41:36Z")
> [@Good Egg](#): > > I have read about ones that sacrified to their god, Lucifer, with blood sacrifices. This goes on today with witches. I also read thats what abortion is, too, child sacrifice. :dubious: Just out of curiosity, where did you read this? ---
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-civilizations-practiced-human-sacrifice/340407/30 "2006-01-19T00:46:29Z")
Human sacrifice was also apparently found in early Egypt. See [http://www.ancient-egypt.org/glossary/miscellaneous/human\_sacr.html](http://www.ancient-egypt.org/glossary/miscellaneous/human_sacr.html) -Lil ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-civilizations-practiced-human-sacrifice/340407/31 "2006-01-19T03:08:23Z")
> [@Good Egg](#): > > I have read about ones that sacrified to their god, Lucifer, with blood sacrifices. This goes on today with witches. I also read thats what abortion is, too, child sacrifice. Care to provide a cite or two? ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-civilizations-practiced-human-sacrifice/340407/32 "2006-01-19T03:32:13Z")
Incidentally, **Good Egg** , so I can place you. You’re the one who homeschools her kids, right? I think we had a bit of an argument over the merits of homeschooling when you joined? Just to make sure I’m associating it with the right user name. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-civilizations-practiced-human-sacrifice/340407/33 "2006-01-19T04:24:17Z")
I beg to differ; I don’t think \*suttee \*should be considered human sacrifice. And if you \*are \*considering it, then I’d like your definition for human sacrifice, please. > [@](#): > > I can understand the Hindu attitude toward death in general; they believe in reincarnation, and that gives a totally different perspective on how they view all kinds of deaths from how we westerners do. This is the only one that I simply can’t handle. Yes, the Hindu attitude toward death \*is \*vastly different. Your post sounds like the early explorers attitude toward _seppuku_, and I don’t consider that sacrifice, either. Even the wiki article on human sacrifice doesn’t include it, and the article on \*suttee \*doesn’t call it sacrifice. I’m not saying it was a good thing, but there was as much culture behind it as _seppuku_. Also, would it be too much to ask for cites for all of these? I’m not doubting anyone…I know the Aztecs & Mayans did so, for example, but it would be interesting to read all the same. And claims like these: > [@](#): > > I have read about ones that sacrified to their god, Lucifer, with blood sacrifices. This goes on today with witches. I also read thats what abortion is, too, child sacrifice. definitely need cites in GQ, methinks. Thanks to all who did provide them. Fascinating topic. ---
**Author:** ![Good\_Egg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@Good\_Egg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Good_Egg)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-civilizations-practiced-human-sacrifice/340407/34 "2006-01-19T04:44:46Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > Incidentally, **Good Egg** , so I can place you. You’re the one who homeschools her kids, right? I think we had a bit of an argument over the merits of homeschooling when you joined? Just to make sure I’m associating it with the right user name. No, I have no children. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-civilizations-practiced-human-sacrifice/340407/35 "2006-01-19T04:46:59Z")
> [@Good Egg](#): > > No, I have no children. So, uh, how about those cites? ---
**Author:** ![Good\_Egg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@Good\_Egg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Good_Egg)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-civilizations-practiced-human-sacrifice/340407/36 "2006-01-19T04:49:14Z")
Some online page of some fundie. I said I read the theory posited by this guy, I did not say I believed it. ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-civilizations-practiced-human-sacrifice/340407/37 "2006-01-19T11:26:45Z")
> [@Good Egg](#): > > Some online page of some fundie. I said I read the theory posited by this guy, I did not say I believed it. Read what you actually said; the second sentence reads like a declarative statement, which is why you’re being called out for it: > [@Good Egg](#): > > I have read about ones that sacrified to their god, Lucifer, with blood sacrifices. This goes on today with witches. It would be helpful if, from now on, you provided cites for things like that (“some online page of some fundie” doesn’t count, BTW, unless you can provide a URL.) ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-civilizations-practiced-human-sacrifice/340407/38 "2006-01-19T18:59:47Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > You have been misinformed, or believed fiction to be truth. > > OTOH, you may go too far in the other direction, depending on who we’re grouping in with witch/wiccan/neopagan groups. If we’re including Ifa, Santeria and Voudoun, they do practice animal sacrifice even today, though not human. In Santaria at least, they eat the animals they kill as well. I believe this is also true much of the time for Voudoun, and perhaps in Yoruban practices as well. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-civilizations-practiced-human-sacrifice/340407/39 "2006-01-19T19:12:52Z")
> [@Zabali\_Clawbane](#): > > In Santaria at least, they eat the animals they kill as well. I believe this is also true much of the time for Voudoun, and perhaps in Yoruban practices as well. It is mostly, but not always, true of Ifa. If the animal is killed for a blessing, it will be eaten. If it is killed to absorb a curse, it is tainted and will not be eaten. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-civilizations-practiced-human-sacrifice/340407/40 "2006-01-19T20:48:02Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > OTOH, you may go too far in the other direction, depending on who we’re grouping in with witch/wiccan/neopagan groups. If we’re including Ifa, Santeria and Voudoun, they do practice animal sacrifice even today, though not human. I’m hardly an authority, but I would not classify Santeria or Voudoun as “neopagan”, and certainly not as Wiccan. (I’m not familiar with Ifa, so I can make no assessment of it.) Santeria and Voudoun are syncretist religions that had established traditions well before the modern neopagan movement began. Neopagan religions are generally considered modern religions formed as a deliberate reconstruction of pre-Christian beliefs and practices of various societies. I have also never heard of a practitioner of Santeria or Voudoun referred to as a “witch”, except perhaps as a derogatory term applied by someone who did not share their faith. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-civilizations-practiced-human-sacrifice/340407.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-civilizations-practiced-human-sacrifice/340407.md?page=3)