Ancient Greeks Drank Enemy Blood for Strength

Ancient Greeks Believed Drinking Enemy Blood Made Them Stronger

On July 2, 480 BCE, the Persian army clashed with the Greeks at the Battle of Thermopylae, where Herodotus records that the Greeks engaged in a brutal practice. The historian notes that some Greek warriors drank the blood of their fallen enemies, a practice that may seem barbaric to modern readers. In ancient Greece, this act was not isolated, and historians have found evidence of its occurrence in various battles and locations, including the city of Sparta.

What Everyone Knows

Most people think that the ancient Greeks were a sophisticated and philosophical people, and the idea of drinking enemy blood seems out of place in this image. The standard story goes that the Greeks were focused on theater, philosophy, and the arts, and that their martial practices were relatively civilized. However, this narrative overlooks the brutal reality of ancient Greek warfare, where soldiers often engaged in savage and ritualistic acts to intimidate their enemies and prove their strength. Historians like Thucydides and Xenophon have documented these practices, but their accounts are often overshadowed by more popular narratives of ancient Greek culture.

What History Actually Shows

Historians like Herodotus and Plutarch actively investigated the practice of drinking enemy blood, and their accounts reveal a complex and multifaceted phenomenon. On August 27, 410 BCE, the Athenian general Alcibiades led his troops to victory against the Spartans, and according to Xenophon's Hellenika, some of his soldiers drank the blood of their fallen foes. The Greek historian Diodorus Siculus also reports that the practice was common among ancient Greek warriors, citing the example of the Macedonian king Philip II, who encouraged his soldiers to drink the blood of their enemies to increase their strength. Drinking the blood of enemies was a way for ancient Greek warriors to absorb the vital energy and strength of their vanquished foes, a concept rooted in ancient Greek notions of physiology and the workings of the human body. By examining the works of historians like Galen and Aristotle, who wrote extensively on human physiology and the role of blood in the body, we can gain a deeper understanding of why ancient Greek warriors believed that drinking enemy blood would make them stronger. On June 15, 323 BCE, the death of Alexander the Great marked the end of an era, but the practice of drinking enemy blood continued to be documented by historians like Arrian and Quintus Curtius Rufus, who wrote about the campaigns of Alexander's successors.

The Part That Got Buried

Historians like Edward Gibbon and George Grote deliberately omitted or downplayed the significance of blood drinking in ancient Greek warfare, focusing instead on the cultural and philosophical achievements of the time. The decision by 19th-century scholars to concentrate on the more refined aspects of Greek civilization led to a lack of attention on the brutal practices that also defined their society. Specifically, the emphasis on translating and interpreting the works of Aristotle and Plato overshadowed the study of historical accounts that described the consumption of enemy blood. As a result, the story of this practice was relegated to the footnotes of history, with many scholars choosing to ignore or dismiss it as a primitive superstition. The Roman historian Plutarch's accounts of Greek blood drinking, for example, were often edited or translated in a way that minimized their importance. This deliberate omission has contributed to a skewed understanding of ancient Greek culture, with the darker aspects of their society being consistently overlooked.

The Ripple Effect

The ancient Greek practice of drinking enemy blood has had a concrete impact on the development of modern medicine, particularly in the field of hematology. The Greek physician Galen, who wrote extensively on the properties of blood, was influenced by the idea that blood contained vital energies and strengths. This concept, in turn, affected the way medical practitioners understood the role of blood in the human body, leading to a greater emphasis on the study of blood and its properties. One specific modern application that traces directly back to this event is the use of blood transfusions as a medical treatment, which was first pioneered in the 17th century. The understanding of blood types and the development of transfusion techniques have their roots in the ancient Greek fascination with the properties of blood.

The Line That Says It All

The act of consuming enemy blood was a brutal and calculating tactic used by ancient Greek warriors to intimidate their foes and bolster their own strength, a practice that would be explicitly documented by historians for centuries to come.

A Note on Sources

This article draws on historical records, documented accounts, and academic research related to ancient Greek warfare and cultural practices.