Human Sacrifice in History and Today

by Nigel Davies

A detailed account of the widespread practice of human sacrifice in virtually every civilization throughout history--including its continued practice today--explores the religious and philosophic thought underlying one of humankind's most startling traditions

Genres: History, Religion, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a hard book to read because of the many unfamiliar names introduced at a rapid pace. There are a couple of ambiguous adjectives, and the writing is too long to remain as matter-of-fact as it is; it is hard to stay focused on details of the umpteenth sacrificial ceremony without much theoretical content. However, the last chapter offers a fine conclusion and does a good enough job at providing a rationale for the sequencing of the book.

Although this book could have probably been written better, there were moments that grabbed me by the collar and had me going crazy (the Moche death-heads WHAT?!). Also, the author doesn't deal enough with controversies surrounding human sacrifice reporting, such as the colonial intentions of the reporters. He eventually gets to some of it, but for a while, I was just thinking that he would have taken the slightest hint of evidence as proof of human sacrifice.

But anyways, thank you for Nigel Davies for so much information. Also, I just want to congratulate myself for finishing my reading challenge for the year. Right on time!

[Beluosus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light bed-time reading. Picked it off one of Mel’s shelves at random during a night of insomnia. Kind of a page-turner; I finished it in three nights.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talk about an interesting book subject! Whether one would like to admit it or not, humans can and have been pretty brutal to each other for a variety of reasons. One that might not sit well with modern people is the atrocities done in the name of religion, and that is essentially what human sacrifice is: a religious act. I've been marginally aware of different societies that have practiced it, and that the Eucharist in Christianity is a symbolic version of it, but I wasn't aware of the scope throughout history. Nigel Davies has done an incredible job here in elucidating the practices and reasoning behind human sacrifice, along with an astounding amount of research. As regards human sacrifice in Hinduism (beyond suttee), I talked with an Indian I know who cast doubt on some of the specific practices mentioned here, but he was assuaged somewhat when I mentioned that Davies used research by historian Arnold Toynbee (who my friend studied with in university). This is a gruesome subject (obviously), but the mountain of commonalities between practices among regions and religions should help one to overcome this. This was an excellent (and excellently written) work of comparative religion and anthropology. Not light reading by a long shot, but certainly engrossing.

[Joseph Carrabis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a book for everyone, Human Sacrifice reads more like a freshman or sophomore survey course book than anything else. It is a gem in that sense. It's also a good source for writers wanting to add some historical realism to their work. Other readers - writers, too, for that matter - may be put off by the density of the chapters. The book is textish in that it's pure exposition with a few moments of "found" material from explorers and priests who encountered indigenous groups and documented them. Paragraphs shorter than half a page are rare, and non-students may be put off by this.
All that noted, a worthy read for those seeking more on the subject.

[Charleen Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting and entertaining. i always find that people who write these types of books are actually fairly hilarious. especially the part in the introduction that mentions how books written solely about cannibalism tend to just turn into recipe books. ha!!
i enjoyed it very much. definitely not a fast read, though. must take time to savor the information...see what i did there?

[Kaelen Kinnaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A disturbing book insofar as subject matter (obviously), but wow, is it good. Typical reader will probably have little education on this grizzly subject. This practice took many different shapes and sizes. However, it's a ubiquitous trait that societies across the world practiced in one form or another for the vast majority of history. Illuminating read

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting but difficult to get through. Definitely not a fast read for me.

[Valentín Serrano García · Rating 5 out of 5]

As far as I am concerned, the best account of the topic, still unsurpassed.
It can be complemented with Rene Girard's theses, although Davies also cites him.