A Survey Of Warfare Sacrifice In The Classical Greek World

Sacrifice is one of the religious activities in ancient Greece which permeates every aspect of the life of ancient Greeks.The main content is that the worshiper gives offerings to the gods in the hope of the latter’s blessing or help.Sacrifice also occupies an important position in the military life of the ancient Greeks.The ancient Greeks believed that the will of the gods affected the process and result of the war.Therefore,it gradually became the religious tradition of ancient Greece to provide offerings to the gods in order to win the battle.This dissertation is composed of three parts: introduction,text and conclusion.The text is divided into three parts,taking the sacrifice in the classical Greek world as the starting point,to discuss the general situation and related ceremonies of war sacrifice.The first part mainly explores the etymology and origin of sacrifice and gives a brief overview of sacrifice,so that we have a general understanding of sacrifice.The second part elaborates the general situation of war sacrifice in the classical period,and probes into and analyzes the choice of sacrifice,the god of sacrifice and the motive of sacrifice.In war,sacrifice can be mainly divided into animals,weapons,human and other offerings,such as statues,tripods and so on.As for the gods that ancient Greeks sacrificed to in war,this dissertation chooses god Zeus,the protector of the city Athena,the goddess of hunting Artemis,and the god of war Ares as representatives to discuss the sacrificial activities.Analysis of the motives of war sacrifice,this dissertation starts with the needs of war and religious beliefs to discuss the realistic and traditional religious factors behind the war sacrifice in ancient Greece.The third part investigates the related ceremonies of war sacrifice,including seeking oracle,divination,prayer and oath.In war,sacrifice is not a single ritual,but often accompanied by other related religious rites.The discussion of war ritual can make us have a clearer and more comprehensive cognition of war ritual.Through analysis,it can be seen that the sacrifice before the war,the temporary worship during the war and the votive sacrifice after the war all reflect the high frequency and indispensable role of sacrifice in the ancient Greek war.Over time,war sacrifice gradually became a kind of national culture in the history of ancient Greece,which encouraged the morale of the ancient Greeks in war and strengthened national cohesion.The study of war sacrifice will provide a new research perspective and thinking dimension for us to further understand the social history of the classical Greek world.