Retainer Sacrifice

Retainer sacrifice is a type of human sacrifice where servants or retainers are killed to accompany their master into the afterlife. It was practiced in ancient Egypt, China, and other cultures: 

• Ancient Egypt

  Pharaohs and other high-ranking officials would have their servants killed to serve them in the afterlife. For example, King Djer had 318 retainers buried in his tomb and 269 more buried in nearby enclosures. However, some speculate that the act of giving up life to serve the king may have been voluntary, and that the bodies were not necessarily buried alive. 

• Ancient China

  Retainer sacrifice was practiced during the Shang period (1300–1050) and the Spring and Autumn period (770–476). The poem “Yellow Bird” describes the sacrifice of 177 people at the funeral of Lord Mu. 

• Mesoamerican cultures

  The Aztecs practiced human sacrifice as part of a 52-year cycle. Every 52 years, all fires were extinguished and a human was sacrificed at midnight. If the sun rose, it meant that the sacrifices were enough and a new cycle had begun.