Undoubtedly, human sacrifice is at the forefront of the issues that have tarnished humanity at different times in the history of the world. From that period to the 21st century, various specimens of human sacrifice have been found. Today's article is arranged with some history.
1. Carthage
The inhabitants of Carthage were one of the most prosperous and powerful people in the ancient world. But even then there were some strange customs prevalent among them which to many at that time seemed quite barbaric. One of them was child sacrifice. According to experts, they did it to please the Creator. On the other hand, this heinous act also played an important role in controlling their population. Carthage's wealthy people sacrificed their children to the gods to protect their property.
Many estimate that between 800 and 146 BC (during which time the Romans occupied Carthage) an estimated 20,000 Carthage children were killed for sacrificing to God. However, many historians also oppose this view. According to them, many of those children died of natural causes.
2. Israel
According to experts, human sacrifice was also common in ancient Israel. The locals used to burn their children to perform this sacrificial act. And the name of the deity for which this was done was Malokh. But not all of them used to do that. The members of a secret society, who worshiped Malokh as their deity, used to do so.
However, many historians disagree on this issue. So even today its truth remains a mystery.
3. Etruscan civilization
Etruscan is one of the richest and most powerful civilizations in ancient Italy. They lived in Tuscany, western Umbria, and northern Lazio. They mainly earned their livelihood through agriculture and trade. Carthage and Greece maintained good trade relations. Besides, various minerals also played a significant role in keeping the wheel of their economy moving.
In the midst of such a civilization, many historians did not want to accept that human sacrifice would be the norm. However, a team of archaeologists from the University of Milan found evidence of that. In Turquoia they found the graves of some of these sacrificed people. Among them were children and adults who were ill, had low social status or were foreigners.
4. China
The subject of human sacrifice became quite common in ancient China. Its greatest expansion occurred during the reign of the Shang Dynasty. At that time, of course, human sacrifice on such a large scale had two purposes - to eliminate political opponents and to entertain the Creator.
There were three types of human sacrifices in China. Young people were sacrificed by digging holes in the ground. All of them had their limbs amputated and did not have anything to use. Children were sacrificed in different places. Their deaths were carried out in a tragic way. Adolescents and young women were sacrificed in a slightly different place. Of course, their bodies were not as miserable as in the first two. The bodies of the unfortunate teenagers and young women were properly buried.
5. Hawaii
Once upon a time, the people of Hawaii thought that by sacrificing human beings, they could get the blessings of the god of war and defense, Ku, and defeat their opponents in various battles. In this hope, human sacrifices were performed in their temples, which they called ‘heiyau’. Usually the top men of the various rival tribes, who had been taken prisoner of war, were chosen to be the victims.
That is why the unfortunate one was first hung upside down on a wooden frame. Then he was beaten in such a way that the poor man's life would fly away. Then the man's entrails were removed. I say but by then only half is done. This time the corpse was either cooked or eaten raw. Priests and tribal chiefs lived among the eaters.
6. Mesopotamia
Most of present-day Iraq, Kuwait, eastern Syria, southeastern Turkey, and the Turkish-Syrian and Iran-Iraq border areas were once part of Mesopotamia. The practice of human sacrifice was also prevalent among the residents here. Members of the royal court, warriors and servants were buried with their masters so that they could serve their masters in the hereafter as well. The warriors were given their weapons, on the other hand the servants wore turbans.
Historians have long believed that poison was used to kill these people. But later this idea was proved wrong. To kill those unfortunate people, spears were put in their heads!
7. Aztec
The philosophy of the Aztecs behind the human sacrifice was quite strange. They thought that this human sacrifice would save the sun from death! They considered the blood of the victims to be very sacred. They believed that this blood was essential for the relief and nourishment of the wrath of their solar god, the whistleblower.
The practice of human sacrifice by the Aztecs was quite horrible. It used volunteers as well as prisoners of war. Sometimes the person who wanted to sacrifice was first taken to the temple on foot. The priest standing there would cut the man from the neck to the abdomen! The man's heart was then offered to the gods. On the other hand, other parts of the body were cut off.
8. Egypt
At one time this practice of human sacrifice was also prevalent in ancient Egypt. There a slave or an important companion of the pharaoh was buried with him so that he could continue to serve his master in the afterlife. According to Egyptologist George Reisner, King Tsar's tombs were filled with his servants. Those servants were given various necessities so that there would be no difficulty in serving the master in the hereafter!
9. Inca
The people of the Inca civilization sacrificed human beings to please the Creator. That's why they used children the most. The Inca Empire often faced various natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and floods. They thought that only human sacrifice could save them from these disasters. So the Inca children had to lose their lives to please the Creator.
Mummy of Inca children;
Surprisingly, there were many children in their society whose only purpose was to sacrifice! The Incas considered the sacrifice of these children to be the 'holiest sacrifice'. They believed that after death these children would have a very beautiful life. Of course they were treated much better before they died. They were given the desired food, and even the privilege of meeting the emperor.
10. Fiji
Although every description mentioned in today's article is quite painful, the incident in Fiji is even more painful. Once upon a time there was a rule that if a husband died, his wife should also be strangled to death. The various ethnic groups there followed this rule very seriously. They believed that the wife's duty was to accompany her husband in this world as well as in the hereafter. Therefore, with the death of the husband, all his wives had to be sacrificed.
These widows were called ‘Thotho’, which means ‘carpet of the husband’s grave’! Even more tragic is the fact that their own brothers were responsible for suffocating and killing women. If he could not do that, at least he would have to witness this brutal massacre.
11. In Dahome
Dahome was the name of an old state in West Africa. There was an annual festival called Joyetanu. In addition to various events in Joyetanu, one of the biggest attractions was human sacrifice. For this, slaves and various prisoners of war were chosen. This human sacrifice, performed in honor of the living and dead kings, was carried out mainly by beheading. It was such a widespread practice that an estimated 7,000 people were killed in the human sacrifice of Joyetanur during the reign of one king alone.
12. Maya
In ancient times the people of the Maya civilization also wrote their names in the list of followers of this custom. They used to do this on special occasions. Human sacrifices were occasionally offered in the temple. Most of the unfortunates were prisoners of war. Prisoners were painted blue in honor of Chuck, the god of rain, during the human sacrifice at Chichen Itza. Then they were pushed and thrown into a well.
13. Satidah
The practice of satidah existed in our Indian subcontinent. Here, after a Hindu woman becomes a widow, going to the cheetah with her husband is called satidah. Women were sometimes sent voluntarily, sometimes by force. This inhuman practice came to an end in 1829 with the dedicated efforts of the eminent social reformer Raja Rammohun Roy.
However, its existence has not yet been completely matched. In 2006, the BBC reported that a 40-year-old woman from the village of Tuslipar in Madhya Pradesh, India, had committed suicide through the practice of satidah after the death of her husband. But no one forced him. He himself jumped there, police said.
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