It is a well-known fact that the Greeks of old practiced sacrifice. Many believe that they also practiced human sacrifice. However, not many can say to what extent or for what specific purposes where such sacrifices made. Very few historical texts are available depicting the true nature of these sacrifices and whether or not they played a role in the everyday society of ancient Greece. Our best depictions of ancient Greek history can be found in their mythologies. Thus we can only begin to decipher the truth behind these ritualistic sacrifices by first analyzing their mythology. One of the most famous examples of human sacrifice in Greek mythology can be found in the depiction of Iphigenia at Aulis given by Euripides. This paper sets out to compare the role of human sacrifice in Greek myth and its role as depicted by Euripides in Iphigenia at Aulis. The three major points discussed shall be the purpose of sacrifice in Greek myth, those suitable for sacrifice in Greek myth, and the......
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Approximate Word Count: 1628
Approximate Pages: 7 (260 words per double-spaced page) |