In the religious perception of the ancient Greeks, gods were benefactors, but at the same time they demanded gifts. The most elementary form of gift was the offering of one part of whatever the man acquired, that is food. They offered, in fact, the first piece of food that was obtained by hunting, fishing, harvest or agriculture, and was called aparchai. The method of offering the food to god was not always the same, or necessarily logical. It could be placed on special offering tables in the temples and then end up with the priests for their own needs. It often composed a broth, which was later given to strangers and pilgrims by the priests. The food was even left at sacred points for other people or even for animals. Finally it could either be burnt on the altar, or be immersed into lakes, springs or the sea. To rural sanctuaries were dedicated the seasonal gifts (orae), which were called Horae, and was usually bread, figs, grapes, olives, wine and milk. In certain cases the percentage of the product that should be dedicated was defined in 1/10 of the production and this offer was called dekate (tithe). The act of the offer, although it was known to us from earlier times, it seems that was systemized during the Archaic period and reflects both the desire of display and the clear seperation of the prosperous classes.

A special offering was the spillage of liquids, the known libation, which was one of the most common rituals during prehistoric times. Usually two different ways of offering liquids were followed, the libation and the choe. Libation, which was mainly addressed to the gods, was performed with an oinochoe or cup and the pouring of the liquid was controlled. On the contrary, the choe was done by overturning and emptying a larger vessel and was destined for the chthonic deities. They usually performed their libations with wine and special rules applied regarding the order of the gods and heroes to whom the libations were addressed during the symposia. However, both the libations and the choai could be done with honey, oil or water. The libation was followed by an invocation to some deity and often concluded with a bloody sacrifice, a voyage or hostilities. The truce was also called Libation, whereas during the Olympic games and the Eleusinian mysteries the spondophoroi (spondebearers) announced the armistice. For the performance of choai a small pit was dug, or a pierced vessel was often placed in the ground, for the liquids to go straight to the dead. In recent years studies have underlined the psychological parameter of this peaceful spillage, which preserved hope in abundance and order in the world.

The offer of aparchai -while not abandoned- gradually acquired a second form, when money was offered instead of fruits, but it was still called aparchai. The amount, the kind and the way of the offer were often predefined, in which case it became known as 'tama', votive offering. In the case of an emergency or danger the people promised a specific offering through the formula "if... then...". The weather conditions that would have allowed a good crop were often the object of the invocations and offerings to the gods. Very expensive votive offers were made after military conflicts. Hence, many eminent weapons -especially in the Archaic period- decorate the sanctuaries, since the decate (1/10) of booties was designated for a dedication for the god. The golden tripod on a snake column that was dedicated to Delphi after the victory in Plateae was such a dedication. Even a number of the captives could be dedicated to the sanctuaries. However, the most common votive offerings were objects made especially for this purpose, as for example figurines, vases and statues. These works were accompanied, as a rule, by inscriptions, on which the name of their dedicator and/or artist is mentioned. Thus, one more function of the oblations becomes clear: personal recognition and acknowledgment through the constantly developing social rivalry.