hecatombs

Hecatombs are large-scale sacrifices in ancient Greek religion, typically involving a hundred animals. The term comes from the Greek hekatombē, literally "a hundred oxen" (from hekaton "hundred" and bous "ox"). In practice, the exact number could vary with wealth and occasion; cattle were common, but hecatombs could also involve sheep, pigs, or other livestock. The essential idea was a major public offering performed to honor a god or to mark a significant festival or vow.

Ritual practice typically occurred at major sanctuaries or city temples and included slaughter on an altar, offerings of the meat to the gods, libations, and accompanying processions. Portions of the sacrificed animals were distributed among priests, participants, and the community, while some parts were dedicated to the deity by burning.

In the classical period, descriptions of hecatombs appear in literary works and inscriptions associated with sacrifices to deities such as Zeus, Hera, Artemis, and other gods. The scale and frequency of such rites varied by city-state and period, reflecting local religious calendars and political resources.

In modern usage, "hecatomb" can denote any large-scale slaughter or mass loss of life, and it appears in literature and journalism as a metaphor for catastrophe or tragedy.