In ancient Greece, a hecatomb (/ˈhɛkətuːm/ or /ˈhɛkətoʊm/; Ancient Greek: ἑκατόμβη hekatómbē) was a sacrifice to the gods of 100 cattle (hekaton = one hundred, bous = bull). In practice, as few as 12 could make up a hecatomb. Hecatombs were offered to Greek gods Hera, Athena, and Apollo, during special religious ceremonies. At the end of the Olympic Games, a hecatomb was also offered to Zeus at Olympia.
In the Iliad hecatombs are described formulaically. The following is one instance, from Samuel Butler's translation: