Greek legend tells of a number of human sacrifices in the Mycenaean period, but according to Plutarch the Greeks sacrificed humans as late as the Persian Wars, just prior to the battle of Salamis in 480 BC. The Romans did not generally sacrifice humans to the gods, but they did sacrifice them to the manes (spirits of the dead) during the Republic. Archaeologists have uncovered the tombs of some of these victims, including those buried alive in Rome’s walls. Romans buried pairs of victims alive on other occasions as well, most notably in the wake of Rome’s defeat by Hannibal at Cannae. The
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