Historical reference: Do not rely on this information. It is very old. About this collection
Hecatomb (Greek hekatombe, from hekaton, a hundred, and bous, an ox), literally an "offering of a hundred bulls," but used generally of any sacrifice to the gods in which a large number of animals was slain. Hecatombs are frequently mentioned by Homer, and at Athens they gave its name to the month in which they were offered.