A Culture in Denial: The Roman Cultural Relationship with Human Sacrifice

Edwards, William (2025) A Culture in Denial: The Roman Cultural Relationship with Human Sacrifice. Masters thesis, University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

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Abstract

The Romans denied practicing human sacrifice, and claimed that almost every civilisation around them practised it, with it being an integral part in differentiating the Romans with everyone else; this self perception is deeply flawed. This work endeavours to grapple with the concept of human sacrifice, apply a pancultural defining framework for what counts as sacrifice, and engage with examples primarily from the Mid-Late Roman Republic and Early Principate period. Furthermore this work sets out to grasp the cultural importance of the term “human sacrifice” within the Roman mindset of the aforementioned period, to do so examples of allegations or genuine practice of human sacrifice within a select few other cultures with which Rome interacted with will be examined; not only will the claims themselves be interrogated, but the Roman attitude, racism and imperialistic actions against those cultures/groups be taken into consideration in regards to their fates. Examples of Roman human sacrifice to be examined include the ritual immurement not only of the Greeks and the Gauls of the 3rd & 2nd Centuries BCE but also the living entombment of the Vestal Virgins; the military self-sacrificial ritual of devotio; the drowning of hermaphroditic children; the allegations of human sacrifice that permeated the Late Republic; and the examination of assassinations as to whether human sacrifice under the guise of defending the Republic was occurring.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > D History (General) > D051 Ancient History D History General and Old World > DE The Mediterranean Region. The Greco-Roman World
Divisions:	Theses and Dissertations > Masters Dissertations
Depositing User:	Victoria Hankinson
Date Deposited:	19 Jan 2026 09:15
Last Modified:	19 Jan 2026 09:15
URI:	https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/id/eprint/4097

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