The viscera (splanchna) and the “Greek way” of sacrificing

The discovery of a remarkable cult regulation at Marmarini in Thessaly has recently brought to light an exceptional mention in our epigraphic documentation: the statement that a sacrifice could be performed “according to the Greek norm”. As this sacrifice highlights the splanchna (“viscera”) of the animal and the parts placed in the fire (on the altar), the present study offers a thorough analysis of the role of the viscera in the sacrificial process attested in Greek narratives as well as in ritual norms, in order to test the hypothesis that the combustion of a part for the gods and the specific manipulation of the viscera constitute, beyond local variations, the essential characteristics of the “Greek way of sacrificing”.