Study On Animal Sacrifice And City-state Society In Classical Greece

Animal sacrifice was one of the core parts of ancient Greek religious activities.It enriched the daily life of ancient Greeks,was an auxiliary means of city-state society to construct order,and played an important role in expressing and consolidating the political order and gender culture of city-state.Therefore,through the study of animal sacrifice in classical times,we can spy out the various conditions of ancient Greek society under the animal sacrifice ceremony from the details.In the classical period,animal sacrifice became a stage of performance for all classes in the city-state because of its ritualistic and collective nature.At the political level,through the demarcation of the scope of participating groups in animal sacrifice and the differentiated role played by them,the unity of the city-state community was consolidated and the problem of political status was displayed externally.Outside the city-state,the inter-state relations between city-states are expressed by defining the degree of participation of participating city-states in the common sacrificial activities.Therefore,we can say that animal sacrifice reflects the internal political status of ancient Greek city-states and inter-state relations.Secondly,on the level of social order,the gradually expanding scope of sacrificial personnel also reflects the development of ancient Greek society.In the classical period,the development of Greek city-states,the continuous influx of foreigners,the status of civilians in the city-state,are reflected in the animal sacrifice of the same period.In the city-state,the scope of participation of foreigners was gradually expanded,and the gap between the sacrificial roles of civilians and nobles was narrowed.Finally,on the level of social gender culture,the patrilineal clan’s application of animal sacrifice ceremony,the degree of women’s participation and role arrangement all reflect the city’s gender culture proposition.Moreover,the restrictions on women were further strengthened in various Greek laws during this period,and the role played by women was the existence of anonymous symbols.With the rise of women’s status in Hellenistic times,records of individual women participating in sacrifices appeared in city-states.Generally speaking,animal sacrifice in the classical period expressed and displayed the social status quo of Greek city-states in a unique way.Animal sacrifice was not merely a religious practice,but a mirror image of Greek society.Through this mirror image,we can explore the social development of Greek Polis at that time.