Dying for the Gods: Human Sacrifice in Iron Age & Roman Europe

Sacrifice, like death, is one of the great taboo subjects of modern society. The notion that human sacrifice, murder most horrid and even cannibalism could be considered a most holy act is almost inconceivable. Yet the evidence for human sacrifice in north-west Europe, deriving from both archaeology and the testimony of Classical writers of the first centuries BC/AD, has to be confronted. This is the challenge of this original, but often disturbing, book. It brings together a wealth of archaeological, anthropological and historical evidence that has not been previously available is a valuable asset to scholars.