The ritual practice of animal sacrifice in pre-islamicate Zoroastrianism

Avestan and Middle Persian, as well as a few non-Indo-Iranian sources clearly state the existence of animal sacrifices in pre-islamicate Zoroastrianism. My PhD project aims to deliver a comprehensive study of this ritual practice based on the available written and archaeological sources. The slaughtering, consecration, offering and consumption of an animal and its parts are to be described and analyzed within the larger Zoroastrian liturgical setting. The comparison with the corresponding Vedic rituals will also allow insights into how the ancient Zoroastrian practice may have looked like.