Hi everyone, for the first time in my life I was reading Agamben's Homo Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life and realized that the whole discussion related to the concept of the homo sacer. I especially wanted to read the 3rd chapter of the book due to time limitation (reading the book as a course reading). After realizing that the concept homo sacer is at the foundation of his thinking, I tried to read the 2nd chapter where he specifically deals with this concept starting from the Roman law. This part was not easy to understand for me but as I tried to follow this concept along his arguments, I think it boils down to this: "a person that can be killed (with impunity) but not be sacrificed"

I get the "can be killed" part as homo sacer is a person excluded (and thus included) from the law. But I don't understand the sacrifice part. What does sacrifice mean in this context and why homo sacer is not sacrificed? What is the relation btw killing & sacrifice? etc. If someone can explain specifically this relation, would be appreciated!