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I crock pot some stuff an usually takes between 10 to 12 hours. I have seen people smoke a pig which takes about 1 day. What were the rules of sacrifice in the ancient gods or the new one? (lemmy.world)

submitted 3 weeks ago by Patnou@lemmy.world to c/askhistorians@lemmy.world

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I mean it must have take a long while to light a goat or something similar on fire as a sacrifice. Do then the believers just go home come back the next day and keep lighting it till its down to ash? Or when it was burnt to a crisp did they use the meat to feed the villiage city or town?

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[–] PugJesus@piefed.social 1 points 3 weeks ago

I speak primarily as to Graeco-Roman practices, but only a small part of the animal was burned during most sacrifices - most of it inedible or of marginal use. The Greeks tended to have a communal feast with the portion of the animal that wasn't burned - which was most of it - while Romans tended to have the meat sold to the public, with the proceeds going towards the upkeep of the temple and priest, which would be cooked either according to individual (whether buyer or feaster) preference or in a fairly ordinary communal way (boiled, roasted, etc)

Sacrifices wherein the entire animal was burned were typically done to destroy the entire animal, that being considered a great sacrifice. So there would just be a roaring fire, cremation style, wherein the animal's entire body was burned to uselessness.

A terrible waste!