Setting aside the obvious inconsistency that no society which practicised human sacrifice could possibly be labelled 'civilised' in the first place, how ironic was it that it took the supposedly barbarian Goths et al to eliminate this Roman practice?
Aye, sacrifice (human or otherwise) in cultures outside Greco-Roman influence do seem linked to religious practices and not to 'sporting activities'.It's hard to put yerself in the shoes of either side some two thousand years on but it does feel like the gladiatorial tradition that we see, and still celebrate today in the form of sporting events, has become the norm.
As for setting the historical record straight re: ancient British and Anglo-Saxon cultures. While abhorring the illegal and unprofessional collection of artefacts from those periods (by metal detectorists, amateur archaeologists and those who profit from those activities) I do welcome any addition to our knowledge and understanding of those periods in our history.