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The following is their manner of sacrifice: They lead the victim,
marked with their signet, to the altar where they are about to offer
it, and setting the wood alight, pour a libation of wine upon the
altar in front of the victim, and at the same time invoke the god.
Then they slay the animal, and cutting off his head, proceed to flay
the body. Next they take the head, and heaping imprecations on it,
if there is a market-place and a body of Greek traders in the city,
they carry it there and sell it instantly; if, however, there are no
Greeks among them, they throw the head into the river. The
imprecation is to this effect: They pray that if any evil is impending
either over those who sacrifice, or over universal Egypt, it may be
made to fall upon that head. These practices, the imprecations upon
the heads, and the libations of wine, prevail all over Egypt, and
extend to victims of all sorts; and hence the Egyptians will never eat
the head of any animal.
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