Timeline of human sacrifices

This is a list of notable human sacrifices and events relating to them.

Ancient

 * 3500 BC: Three men were sacrificed during a burial, near the town of Shendi in modern Sudan. Their remains were found alongside two dogs and ceramics.
 * 31st century BC: Pharaoh Hor-Aha was buried alongside his servants in the first Egyptian case of retainer sacrifice.
 * 30th century BC: Pharaoh Qa'a was buried alongside his servants in the last Egyptian case of retainer sacrifice.
 * c. 3000 BC: Archeological evidence of human sacrifice in Başur Höyük in Turkey.
 * 2500 BC: Human sacrifice was performed in ancient city of Ur.
 * 1700–1550 BC: Evidence of human sacrifice by Kerma culture in modern Sudan.
 * 9th century BC: Arzhan culture kurgan contains evidence of human sacrifice among Scythian people.
 * 678 BC: Duke Wu, the tenth ruler of Qin, had 66 people buried with him.
 * 621 BC: The 14th ruler Duke Mu had 177 people buried with him, including three senior government officials
 * 6th–4th century BC: Archeological evidence of human sacrifice in south-western Bulgaria.
 * 5th century BC: Herodotus reports of human sacrifice among Scythian people.
 * 480 BC: According to Plutarch, Greek commander Themistocles sacrificed three Persian prisoners of war before the Battle of Salamis.
 * 228 BC: First known case of human sacrifice in Ancient Rome.
 * 216 BC: Second known case of human sacrifice in Ancient Rome: a pair of Vestal Virgins, Gauls, and Greeks were buried alive at Forum Boarium following defeat at Cannae.
 * 114 BC: Last human sacrifice occurred in Roman Republic: pair of Gauls and Greeks were buried alive at Forum Boarium.
 * 97 BC: Roman senate outlawed human sacrifice.
 * First century BC: Archeological remains of human sacrifice near the Egyin Gol River in Mongolia.

Medieval

 * 323: Emperor Nintoku of Japan had a divine revelation in his dream to the effect that there was a person named Kowakubi in the province of Musashi and a person called Koromono-ko in the province of Kawachi. If they should be sacrificed to deities of the two rivers respectively, then the construction of embankments would be easily achieved. Kowakubi was subsequently thrown into the torrent of the Kitakawa river, with a prayer offered. After the sacrifice the embankment was constructed, Koromono-ko however escaped being sacrificed.
 * 464: First mention of sati (widow sacrifice) in Nepal – king Manadeva I forbade his mother from following this practice.
 * 5h century: Human sacrifices occurred during building of Banwolseong palace in Korea.
 * 4th–6th century: Traces of human sacrifice in Ballana burial site in Nubia.
 * Late 7th century: According to a tale, Wulfram of Sens prevent a sacrifice of Frisian king Radbod's son.
 * 502: King of Korea outlawed human sacrifice.
 * 845: Last human sacrifice in Ireland.
 * 893: Last human sacrifice in Britain.
 * 9th century: Burial with five sacrificed bodies was found in Igbo Ukwu town in Nigeria.

10th century

 * 922: Arab traveler Ahmad Ibn Fadlan recorded funeral sacrifice of a female slave of dead Viking ruler in today's Kazan in Russia.
 * c. 978: Theodore the Varangian and his son John were killed during human sacrifice in pagan Kiev.
 * 980: Four children were sacrificed according to archeological findings during building of Trelleborg fortress in Denmark.
 * 1000: Last human sacrifice in Iceland. Two men from each province were sacrificed.
 * 10th century: Ibn Hawqal mentions human sacrifice in kingdom of Ghana.

11th century

 * 1024: Human sacrifice by volkhvy reported in Suzdal in Russia.
 * 1066: John Scotus (bishop of Mecklenburg) was sacrificed to Radegast, the god of hospitality.
 * 1071: Human sacrifice of women by volkhvy was reported in a Rostov village in Rus.
 * 11th century: Al-Bakri mentions sacrifice of servants during royal burial in Ghana.
 * Late 11th century: Arabic writer Abd-el-Aziz El-Bekri describes funeral sacrifice of Nubian kings.

13th century

 * Late 12th/early 13th century: Archeological evidence of sacrifice of 14 people in Shangjing town of Liao Dynasty.
 * 1265: Hulagu Khan funeral featured last known human sacrifice of rule descending from Genghis Khan.

14th century

 * 1326: Following Nepali king Jayarudramalla death, four of his wives were burned.
 * 1342: Gediminas's funeral included a human sacrifice, with his favourite servant and several German slaves being burned on the pyre with the corpse.
 * 1350s: During his travel to Africa Ibn Battuta mentions human sacrifice at the funeral of king of Gobir in Hausaland.
 * 1389: Following the military victories in the land of Medininkai the Samogitians cast lots which indicated Marquard von Raschau, the commander of Klaipėda (Memel), as a suitable victim for gods and burnt him on horseback in full armour. It possibly was the last human sacrifice in medieval Europe.
 * 1398: At least 38 concubines were killed as part of Hongwu's funeral human sacrifice.

15th century

 * 1439: Zhu Youdun, a grandson of Zhu Yuanzhang was buried alongside his wife and six concubines.
 * 1464: Tianshun Emperor, in his will, forbade the practice of human sacrifice for Ming emperors and princes.
 * 1481: When king Yakshamalla of Nepal died, one of his wives refused to become sati, while other was burned.
 * 1490s: Al-Suyuti mentions of practice of substitute sacrifice in kingdom of Gobir which involved sick people killing others.

16th century

 * 1500s: Valentin Fernandes mentions sacrifice of wives and attendants during burials of kings among Mandingo and Beafada people in the Guinea region.
 * 1539: Mention of widespread human sacrifice in Benin kingdom by Christian missionaires.
 * 1560s: Bayinnaung banned human sacrifice in the Burmese Empire.
 * 1578: Altan Khan banned human sacrifice in Mongolia.
 * 1592: Mạc Mậu Hợp was ritually killed in a last known case of human sacrifice in Vietnam.

17th century

 * 1620s: Queen Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba engaged in human sacrifice to boost morale of her troops.
 * 1633: Jan Oosterwijck describes sacrifice of 22 female slaves during a burial of a queen on Bali island.
 * 1634: Jeremias van Vliet describes sacrifice of four pregnant women during building a fort in Thailand.
 * 1660s: Olfert Dapper mentions human sacrifice in kingdom of Vai in modern Sierra Leone, in Ivory Coast, Gold Coast and the kingdom of Allada.
 * 1673: Emperor Kangxi of the Qing dynasty banned human sacrifice.
 * 1674: When king Pratnamalla of Nepal died, nine of his wives were burned.
 * 1676: Human sacrifices were performed during founding of Ava city in Myanmar.
 * 1684: Three Franciscan friars were killed, probably by heart sacrifice, at the Manche Chʼol settlement of Paliac on the Caribbean coast of Belize. They included Francisco Custodio, Marcos de Muros, and an unnamed lay brother.
 * February 1696: Franciscan friar Juan de San Buenaventura and an unspecified Franciscan companion were taken to Nojpetén during a skirmish between the Yucatec Spanish and the Itza on the west shore of Lake Petén Itzá. The Itza high priest AjKin Kan Ekʼ later related that he had the Franciscans bound in the form of crosses and then cut out their hearts. About a month later a Guatemalan Spanish expedition was ambushed and slaughtered; Dominican friars Cristóbal de Prada and Jacinto de Vargas were taken across to the island of Nojpetén and were similarly bound to X-shaped crosses before having their hearts cut out.
 * 1687: When king Parthivendramalla of Nepal died, 24 of his wives were sacrificed.
 * 1600s: Madagascar king Andriamasinavalona performed mock human sacrifice asking one man to volunteer and then released him and granted him immunity from punishment.

18th century

 * 1724: Chevalier des Marchais reported that human sacrifice was prevalent in Liberia.
 * 1725: Upon the death of "Tattooed Serpent" in 1725, the war chief and younger brother of the "Great Sun" or Chief of the Natchez; two of his wives, one of his sisters (nicknamed La Glorieuse by the French), his first warrior, his doctor, his head servant and the servant's wife, his nurse, and a craftsman of war clubs all chose to die and be interred with him, as well as several old women and an infant who was strangled by his parents.
 * 1727: 4,000 people were killed during a ceremony in Dahomey.
 * 1750s: Queen Pokou in modern Ivory Coast allegedly sacrificed her son to cross a river.
 * 1775: When king of Nepal Prithvinarayana Shaha died nine women including his wife were sacrificed.
 * 1780: Nepal outlawed human sacrifice.

19th century

 * 1806: When king of Nepal Ranabahadura Shaha was assassinated, fourteen female slaves and one concubine were sacrificed. His wife was later forced to become sati.
 * 1809: Kanihonui was ritually killed for having sexual affair with queen of Hawaii in possibly last case of ritual sacrifice in Hawaii.
 * 1815: The last recorded human sacrifice in Tahiti, described by Samuel Henry, which took place after the battle of Fei Pi in 1815.
 * 1817: According to an account, in Tonga, a child was strangled to assist the recovery of a sick relation.
 * 1829: Bengal Sati Regulation, 1829 prohibited sacrifice of wives in British India.
 * 1838: In a last human sacrifice among the Pawnee tribe, Haxti, a 14-year-old Oglala Lakota girl was killed.
 * 1839: Eighty women were strangled to accompany the spirits of their husbands to the next world in Viwa Island in Fiji.
 * October 1843: An enslaved girl of the wife of a local chief was shot to accompany her to the next world on the island of Waiheke, near Auckland.
 * 1850: Funeral sacrifices were abolished in Old Calabar.
 * 1853: Dahomey king limited ritual killings to criminals.
 * 1854: Prime minister of Nepal Jung Bahadur Rana restricted which women could be sacrificed during sati ritual, including criminalizing forcing woman to become sati.
 * 1857: During the founding of the city of Mandalay in Myanmar a pregnant woman was reportedly sacrificed.
 * 1858: Following the death of Gezo, ritual killings of war captives resumed in Dahomey.
 * 1861: Last recorded case of human sacrifice of Meriah among Khonds people in India.
 * 1863: Igbo state of Abo accepted a treaty abolishing human sacrifice.
 * 1867: Last human sacrifice was performed in Anaho in French Polinesia.
 * 1868: Last recorded human sacrifice among Mayas in Chamula of Chiapas.
 * 1870s: Last cases of human sacrifice among Tlingit people in Alaska were reported.
 * 1874: Treaty imposed on Asante by British expedition aimed to abolish human sacrifice.
 * 1876: Following the treaty Asante limited ritual killings to convicted murderers.
 * 1877: Following death of Jung Bahadur Rana, three of his wives burnt themselves.
 * April or May 1877: Last royal-sponsored human sacrifise in Cambodia in Ba Phnom.
 * 1881: Asante abolished public executions at religious ceremonies.
 * 1887:
 * the last human sacrifice in connection with a funeral among Yombe people occurred when nine women were buried with their dead husband.
 * Last recorded human sacrifice at Mount Tláloc in Mexico.
 * 1890: Last human sacrifice occurred in Baliy area in Sarawak.
 * 1892: French conquest suppressed human sacrifises in Dahomey.
 * 1890s:
 * Europeans conquered Benin and Asaba banning human sacrifice.
 * Funeral sacrifices of wives of chefs and witches stopped among Mapuche tribes in Argentina following state conquest of their territory.
 * July 1893: Last human sacrifise in Ondo region in Nigeria took place when two slaves were killed at Oyegbata's funeral. After that British forced the region to stop the practice.
 * 1895: First recorded ritual killing for medicine in British Lesotho.
 * 1900: Last royal sacrifice occurred among Kuba people in Congo.

20th century

 * 1903: In the last case of human sacrifice on Bali island in Indonesia two women were killed in Tabanan.
 * 1909: Ritual sacrifice of a boy by elders was reported in Philippines. The perpetrators' sentences were suspended upon promise of ending the practice.
 * 1911: The last ritual sacrifices with death of Chitimukulu in Zambia occurred.
 * 1912: A Kazakh chief was skinned to make a religious implement by Ja Lama, who also cut the chief's heart out of his chest. Another Kazakh was also skinned.
 * 1915: Human sacrifices were reportedly still performed in Kamuku territory in Nigeria.
 * 8 July 1920: Ritual burning of widows was fully banned in Nepal.
 * 1923: In Chigango's Kraal in Rhodesia son of local chief was sacrificed to appease rain goddess. Two people were found guilty and sentenced to death.
 * 1925: Duna boy was killed by Huli tribe in Papua New Guinea in a human sacrifice ritual.
 * 1927–8: British forces sent several expeditions into upper Myanmar convincing local chiefs to stop human sacrifice.
 * January 1929: Last pre-World War 2 human sacrifice in Upper Burma is recorded in Manmao village.
 * 1931: Government of Assam sentenced all adult members of villages near Burma border engaged in human sacrifise to punitive labor.
 * 4 December 1933: Khanty tribe ritually sacrificed a group of Soviet soldiers. It is the only known case of human sacrifice among the group.
 * 1940–5: Last reported cases of human sacrifice among Hadjarai people in Chad.
 * 1946: During raids by villagers from Naga hills in Myanmar a number of slaves were taken, with some of them later being sold for human sacrifice. This is last record of human sacrifice in Myanmar recorded by British administration.
 * 1945: Young girl was ritually killed in Elmina in Ghana. Five men were convicted and hanged.
 * 1949: Two chiefs were hanged in British Lesotho for ritual killings of people for medicine.
 * 1960: In the aftermath of the 1960 Valdivia earthquake in Chile, a 5-year-old boy is sacrificed by a local Maluchem tribe. Two accused were released from prison after two years.
 * 1966: Last reported ritual killing for medicine in Lesotho.
 * 1976–7: A series of ritual killings dubbed the Maryland ritual killings occurred in Liberia. Seven of the alleged perpetrators were executed.
 * 1971: Head of cargo cult in the East Sepik District in New Guinea threatened to sacrifice a boy.
 * 1972: Last beheading during head hunting reportedly occurred among Ingolots of New Guinea.
 * 1975: Last human sacrifice in Mayong village in Assam occurred.
 * 1987: India strengthened penalties against ritual burning of widows via Sati (Prevention) Act, 1987.
 * 1989–97: During the First Liberian Civil War General Butt Naked engaged in multiple human sacrifices.

1990s

 * 1990: 30 people were arrested following ritual killing of a woman by cult in Gabon.
 * 1991–2001: Kamajors militias are accused of engaging in human sacrifices during the Sierra Leone Civil War.
 * 1996: A nine-year-old boy was sacrificed by Jharkhand-native Sushil Murmu as an offering to goddess Kali. Murmu was sentenced to death by the court but later got commuted to life imprisonment by the president of India.

21st century

 * 2007: Papua New Guinea police clashed with human sacrifice cult after alleged kidnapping of a child. Villagers forced police to retreat with guns and arrows and went on rampage killing one man from other tribe.
 * 2008: 13 year-old boy was ritually killed in Gabon. In total there were 12 ritual murders in previous month ahead of presidential elections.
 * 2012: Ethiopian Karo tribe agreed to stop mingi practice of ritual killings of infants, however two tribes continue this practice.
 * 2013: Steven Tari, leader of Papua New Guinea cult responsible for sacrifices of several girls was killed by angry mob.
 * 2015: 10-year-old was sacrificed in Kudiya village in southwest Nepal. 11 people were convicted of murder.
 * 2019: Aime Ngbando, Anti-balaka general from Satema ritually killed a 14-year-old girl to increase profit from mines.
 * 2021: Uganda introduced a law prescribing death penalty for human sacrifice, advocating it or possessing body parts.
 * 2022: Between June and October 2022, two women were killed and reportedly cannibalised as part of a human sacrifice in Elanthoor in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. In October 2022, a six-year-old girl was killed in Delhi by two men to please a deity.