f icial ly ▁similar ▁to ▁the ▁bib lic al ▁sc ap ego at ▁is ▁att ested ▁in ▁two ▁rit ual ▁texts ▁in ▁arch ives ▁at ▁E bla ▁of ▁the ▁ 2 4 th ▁century ▁BC . ▁They ▁were ▁connected ▁with ▁rit ual ▁pur ification ▁on ▁the ▁occasion ▁of ▁the ▁king ' s ▁wed ding . ▁In ▁them , ▁a ▁she - go at ▁with ▁a ▁silver ▁bra ce let ▁hung ▁from ▁her ▁neck ▁was ▁driven ▁forth ▁into ▁the ▁was t eland ▁of ▁" A lin i "; ▁" we " ▁in ▁the ▁report ▁of ▁the ▁rit ual ▁involves ▁the ▁whole ▁community . ▁Such ▁" el im ination ▁r ites ", ▁in ▁which ▁an ▁animal , ▁without ▁conf ession ▁of ▁s ins , ▁is ▁the ▁vehicle ▁of ▁ev ils ▁( not ▁s ins ) ▁that ▁are ▁ch ased ▁from ▁the ▁community ▁are ▁widely ▁att ested ▁in ▁the ▁An cient ▁Near ▁East . ▁ ▁An cient ▁Greece ▁An cient ▁Gree ks ▁pract iced ▁sc ap ego ating ▁rit uals ▁in ▁exception al ▁times ▁based ▁on ▁the ▁belief ▁that ▁the ▁rep udi ation ▁of ▁one ▁or ▁two ▁individuals ▁would ▁save ▁the ▁whole ▁community . ▁Sc ap ego ating ▁was ▁pract iced ▁with ▁different ▁rit uals ▁across ▁ancient ▁Greece ▁for ▁different ▁reasons ▁but ▁was ▁mainly ▁used ▁during ▁extraordinary ▁circumstances ▁such ▁as ▁fam ine , ▁dr ought , ▁or ▁pl ague . ▁The ▁sc ap ego at ▁would ▁usually ▁be ▁an ▁individual ▁of ▁lower ▁society ▁such ▁as ▁a ▁criminal , ▁slave , ▁or ▁poor ▁person ▁and ▁was ▁referred