Mars was known by many epithets, each representing one of his many personas. The other, more immediate influence was the Etruscan deity Meris, a god who was often depicted as an infant and may have been an Etruscan counterpart to the Greek Heracles (or Roman Hercules). One was a proto-Italic deity called Mavors, a deity of which little is known. Though the meaning of the name “Mars” remains somewhat elusive, the name itself was clearly adapted from the names of a pair of Italian deities. The two deities differed in at least one respect, however-while Ares was a source of destructive conflicts that tore apart communities, Mars was a wellspring of productive conflicts that brought lasting peace. Mars was largely based on the Greek god Ares, the Greek god of war, and shared much of his mythology. According to Roman mythology, Mars raped the innocent Rhea Silvia and sired Romulus and Remus, twins who would go on to establish the fabled city. Mars’ importance to the Roman people was embedded in the mythic history of Rome and the origins of the Roman state. Bearing his trademark shield and spear, Mars is outfitted in his plumed helm, military cloak, and gorgon head cuirass. This “colossal” statue of Mars from the second century CE depicts Mars in one of his common incarnations-a wizened male in full battle gear. As Rome transitioned from city-state to empire and overtly embraced Greek cultural values, Mars lost his preeminent position in the Roman pantheon to Minerva, the goddess of tactical and strategic warfare. The early Romans revered Mars as a great raging god, whose fury inspired the savagery of warfare and produced the stunning accomplishments of the Roman arms. Mars ruled early Rome as a part of the Archaic Triad, a masculine ruling triumvirate that also included Jupiter and Quirinus (the deified Romulus). As a foundational deity, Mars had a mythology that was intimately intertwined with the Roman city-state. Furious Mars was the Roman god of rage, passion, destruction, and war.
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