Why did killing animals please the gods?

The blood sacrifice of animals in the ancient world helped to connect people to their gods. In this ritual, an animal was tidied up and then led ceremonially to an outdoor altar.

There its throat was cut and its blood caught in an offering dish, like the examples shown here.

The animal’s thighbones were removed and burned, so that the gods might enjoy the smell of the smoke and be pleased with mankind. People attending the sacrifice then shared the meat among themselves. This was one way people got a good “meat meal” in ancient times.

In the Roman world, one popular form of sacrifice was to kill an ox, a sheep, and a pig together. In this part of the exhibit, you see these animals on their way to an altar. This altar may look a bit small; it was actually meant to be used in a house for tiny, non-bloody offerings.