Reasons for Female Child Sacrifice: A Historical, Mythological and Religious Investigation
41st International Rais Conference on Social Science and Humanities, New Jersey, United States Of America, 7 - 08 August 2025, pp.208-214, (Full Text)
- Publication Type: Conference Paper / Full Text
- City: New Jersey
- Country: United States Of America
- Page Numbers: pp.208-214
- Akdeniz University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
Reasons for Girl Child Sacrifice: A Historical, Mythological, and Religious Investigation
Ayse Akinci Ambaroglu
Akdeniz University, Faculty of Theology
Abstract: This study explores the phenomenon of female child sacrifice as represented in mythology, ancient African and Arabian societies, and sacred texts. Anchored by the myth of Iphigenia—immortalized in a mosaic unearthed in Perge, Antalya—the research traces how war, religion, and patriarchal control converge to justify and ritualize the killing of young girls. By examining archaeological, scriptural, and mythological data, this paper argues that the sacrifice of girls often functioned as both a political-religious tool and a mechanism of social control. It also questions the historical normalization of war and why girls, in particular, became its sacrificial symbols.
Keywords: Sacrifice, Child Sacrifice, Girl Child Sacrifice, Iphigenia, Primitive Religions, Pre-Islamic Arabia, African Societies