Religion and Death Votives and Sacrifice Votives were gifts
offered to the gods by their worshippers. They were often given
for benefits already conferred or in anticipation of future
divine favors. Or they could be offered to propitiate the gods
for crimes involving blood-guilt, impiety, or the breach of
religious customs. They could be given either voluntarily or in
response to demands by the cult's priesthood that the donor
fulfill a religious vow or honor some religious Votives were
kept on display in the god's sanctuary for a set period of time
and then were usually ritually discarded. Bronze tripods, prize
cauldrons and figurines, terracotta tablets and figurines,
lamps, and vases are typical examples. Armor, weapons, jewelry
and other more personalized items were dedicated in large
numbers, along with marble statuettes and reliefs. Some of the
healing sanctuaries housed replicas of body parts donated in
thanks for or in hope of cures. Large sculptural monuments in
bronze, marble and other costly materi