After-class Note about the Sacrifice Paintings

I wanted to mention this in class, but we ran out of time. The contrasting views of sacrifice that we saw in those last two paintings (I can't remember the exact titles) is especially interesting from a contemporary standpoint.

Left painting (modern sacrifice): What stands out to me is the silhouette/statue of a soldier in the background, suggesting that it is a military sacrifice. The fanfare surrounding the soldier depicts a sense of honor, pride, and celebration (i.e., the trumpets, drums, wreaths, the colorful flags, and what looks like a version of the Eternal Flame). Thus, while the soldier does not want to die, which we can see from his "death grip" (trying to hold on to life), as someone pointed out, he HAS to die for the cause because that is what the situation has lead up to. At this point, there is no way out of death and, though frightened, the soldier seems to be proud as well. He/she knows that there will be a parade, a celebration of his/her life and military actions.

Right painting (ancient sacrifice): What is interesting to me in THIS painting are the masks that the people seem to be wearing; either they are masks or the artist is purposely distorting their faces. However, this is different from the other painting, as there IS indeed some depiction of a face. Thus, we get to look into the "face" of the ancient hero, the brave soul who is giving up his/her life for the cause of the ancient people. The painting makes me question what that cause is, however, as I do not know much about that time period as opposed to my own. For what reasons would someone be sacrificed in this time? Is there really a sense of pride coming from the sacrificed person (re: is it a somewhat willing sacrifice, or forced?) I am also interested in the fact that there are four sacrificers in this painting, yet the other painting does not show anyone else, does not show exactly how the man/woman was sacrificed. Finally, the difference in clothing styles is intriguing. Are these ancients military personnel? Religious subjects? High-class/low-class individuals?

I'm sure there are more questions, but I will stop here. What does everyone else think? Does anyone have a good grasp of ancient rituals of sacrifice, and would you care to share that knowledge?