Between the sacred and the profane: the figure of the maγeipoς in ancient Greece

Abstract

The term μάγειρος is used in ancient Greece to designate a complex character. Originally it was the officer in charge of sacrifices to kill the victim and then once removed a section dedicated to the gods, the sacrificial meal cooked for. From this second func­tion, and with the extensión of the new gourmet refinements, has specialized as professional cook hired for the preparation of a banquet on the occasion of celebrations of various kinds. In this way there was a progressive shift of public to private and religious to the profane, until the μάγειρος was identified properly by a cook and not by a sacrificer.