Human sacrifice
Ritual killing to appease gods or serve rulers.
Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more humans as part of a ritual, typically intended to please or appease gods, a human ruler, public or jurisdictional demands for justice, an authoritative figure, spirits of dead ancestors, or as a retainer sacrifice. It was practiced in many societies beginning in prehistoric times, but by the Iron Age it became less common in Africa, Europe, and Asia, while continuing in the Americas until European colonization. Today, human sacrifice is extremely rare and condemned by most major religions and modern secular laws.
- label
- Human sacrifice
- field
- Ritual practice
- known_for
- Killing humans in religious or ceremonial contexts
- earliest_evidence
- Prehistoric times
- decline_in_old_world
- Iron Age (1st millennium BCE)
- continued_in_americas
- Until European colonization
- modern_status
- Extremely rare; treated as murder
Lore & Background
Human sacrifice has been practiced in many cultures for various reasons, including to bring good fortune, pacify gods, dedicate buildings, ensure fertility, or win divine favor in warfare. In ancient Japan, legends tell of hitobashira, where people were buried alive at construction sites to protect buildings. Retainer sacrifice, where servants were killed to accompany a leader into the afterlife, occurred among Mongols, Scythians, early Egyptians, and various Mesoamerican chiefs.
Reader's Guide
Human sacrifice reflects deep religious and social structures in ancient societies, often tied to fertility, warfare, and the afterlife. Its decline in the Old World during the Iron Age coincided with the Axial Age, and by classical antiquity it was viewed as barbaric. In the Americas, it persisted until European colonization. The practice was sometimes replaced by animal sacrifice or effigies, as seen in ancient Rome after a senatorial decree in 97 BCE. Biblical accounts show awareness and disdain of human sacrifice, with stories like the binding of Isaac suggesting a shift from human to animal sacrifice. Modern secular laws treat it as murder, and most major religions condemn it. The practice could enhance societal unity but also lead to destabilizing violence.
Did You Know?
- In ancient Japan, hitobashira involved burying people alive at construction sites to protect buildings from disasters or enemy attacks.
- Retainer sacrifice, where servants were killed to serve their master in the afterlife, was practiced by Mongols, Scythians, early Egyptians, and Mesoamerican chiefs.
- According to Pliny the Elder, human sacrifice in ancient Rome was abolished by a senatorial decree in 97 BCE.
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