being most rightly named in my opinion, is called
Papaios, and Earth Api, 57 and Apollo Oitosyros, 58 and Aphrodite Urania
is called Argimpasa, 59 and Poseidon Thagimasidas. 60 It is not their
custom however to make images, altars or temples to any except Ares, but
to him it is their custom to make them.

60. They have all the same manner of sacrifice established for all their
religious rites equally, and it is thus performed:--the victim stands
with its fore-feet tied, and the sacrificing priest stands behind the
victim, and by pulling the end of the cord he throws the beast down; and
as the victim falls, he calls upon the god to whom he is sacrificing,
and then at once throws a noose round its neck, and putting a small
stick into it he turns it round and so strangles the animal, without
either lighting a fire or making any first offering from the victim or
pouring any libation over it: and when he has strangled it and flayed
off the skin, he proceeds to boil it.

61. Now as the land of Scythia is exceedingly ill wooded, this
contrivance has been invented for the boiling of the flesh:--having
flayed the victims, they strip the flesh off the bones and then put it
into caldrons, if they happen to have any, of native make, which
very much resemble Lesbian mixing-bowls except that they are much
larger,--into these they put the flesh and boil it by lighting under it
the bones of the victim: if however thy have not at hand the caldron,
they put all the flesh into the stomachs of the victims and adding water
they light the bones under them; and these blaze up beautifully, and the
stomachs easily hold the flesh when it has been stripped off the bones:
thus an ox is made to boil itself, and the other kinds of victims each
boil themselves also. Then when the flesh is boiled, the sacrificer
takes a first offering of the flesh and of the vital organs and casts
it in front of him. And they sacrifice various kinds of cattle, but
especially horses.

62. To the others of the gods they sacrifice thus and these kinds
of beasts, but to Ares as follows:--In each district of the several
governments 61 they have a temple of Ares set up in this way:--bundles
of brushwood are heaped up for about three furlongs 62 in length and
in breadth, but less in height; and on the top of this there is a level
square made, and three of the sides rise sheer but by the remaining one
side the pile may be ascended. Every year they pile on a hundred and
fif