Historical Offerings for the Gods
in Ancient Greece

1) The cultic role of fish in Ancient Greece is highly debated in Classic scholarship, and I went back and forth for a while over whether to include it with the animal sacrifices or with the offerings. As far as I can tell, fish was typically prepared off-site or else eaten or burned whole if it was small enough. Certainly fish is offered, usually in or as a dish, and is even eaten in the sanctuaries, but there is not sufficient evidence to say they were sacrificed. Other primary sources say that fish is an unsuitable offering for blood sacrifices as the cold-blooded creatures don't bleed on the altars sufficiently for a sacrifice. Another primary source compliments this idea, stating that fish were considered a type of "first-fruits" and were offered as such to Poseidon, the harvest from the sea. In general, it seems, the Ancient Greeks may not have even considered fish a meat. The two notable exceptions to this rule are tuna and eel, as they apparently bleed well enough for a blood sacrifice on an altar (Warning: raw eel blood is toxic and dangerous). For these reasons I have put fish in the offerings section.

• Burkert, Walter. Greek Religion. Blackwell Publishing, 1987. Print.

• Mylona, Dimitra. 'Fish Eating in Greece from the fifth century B.C. to the seventh century A.D.: A story of impoverished fishermen or luxurious fish banquets?' University of Southhampton, 2007. PDF.