Doryphoros
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- Mar 12, 2025
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"Pharmakos refers to the ritualistic sacrifice of a human scapegoat. This practice was used especially during times of disaster in order to appease the gods and to purify the community. However, it was also practiced on a regular basis, such as on the first day of the Thargelia in Athens.
Hipponax of Kolophon describes this process, where the two ugliest men that can be found were chosen to be sacrificed. Then, at the start of the Thargelia, the men were paraded around wearing fig-necklaces and beaten in the most painful place possible using sticks from fig-trees. They were led to the seashore, where they were to be sacrificed, and killed by being stoned to death, then the corpses were burned and the ashes either cast into the sea or scattered onto the fields. Yet, there has been some contention about how reliable Hipponax's account was, especially given the time between when the ritual was performed and when Hipponax wrote."
Holy shit imagine just walking around Athens and then you just get beaten to death for being ugly that's so crazy
Hipponax of Kolophon describes this process, where the two ugliest men that can be found were chosen to be sacrificed. Then, at the start of the Thargelia, the men were paraded around wearing fig-necklaces and beaten in the most painful place possible using sticks from fig-trees. They were led to the seashore, where they were to be sacrificed, and killed by being stoned to death, then the corpses were burned and the ashes either cast into the sea or scattered onto the fields. Yet, there has been some contention about how reliable Hipponax's account was, especially given the time between when the ritual was performed and when Hipponax wrote."
Holy shit imagine just walking around Athens and then you just get beaten to death for being ugly that's so crazy
