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Hecatomb


In ancient Greece, a hecatomb (/ˈhɛkətm/ or /ˈhɛkətm/; 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:


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