A Study and Analysis of Human Sacrifice in India, Iran, and Mesopotamia Based on Sacrifice Theories

The sacrifice is a form of ritual sacrifice and one of the forms of worship that have deviated from their fundamental purposes at times until individuals have sacrificed themselves. The three civilizations of India, Iran, and Mesopotamia have long had many cultural ties and have been influenced by each other; one of these is human sacrifice. This paper tries to study the human sacrifice in these three cultures in a descriptive-analytical way and according to the theories of the ritual of sacrifice. And to answer the questions of when human sacrifice was performed in the mentioned civilizations and if so, in what ways has this effect been shown? The findings show that human sacrifice was often performed in special religious ceremonies and on sensitive occasions in order to reproduce nature and restore it. In Mesopotamia and India, due to the vastness and cultural differences of the region, human sacrifice was more common. The three civilizations mentioned in the rituals of passing through fire have influenced the privileges of alternative sacrifices and the exile of mythical characters (to the underworld). In the analyzes performed in the fertility sections, Fraser and Taylor's theories; the sacrifice for the idol, Taylor and Boyce's theories; Burning and symbolic sacrifices, freezer theories, and Taylor are more commonly used.