2012/10/26 by Rafael Scopacasa · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · #Altar #Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History #Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies #Ancient history #Archaeology #Art #Astrobiology #Biology #Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies #History #Mars Exploration Program
paper · doi:10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah17258
published in The Encyclopedia of Ancient History (Wiley)
openalex publication_date 2012/10/26 · openalex created_date 2022/05/12 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/14
Abstract A major Italian deity, Mars (Oscan Mamers/Mamars , Etruscan Maris ) was associated with warfare, agriculture, and animal husbandry. Together with Jupiter and Quirinus, Mars formed a central triad in Roman and Italic religion, and was regarded as the protector of Roman territory. He became identified with the Greek Ares, also a war god. The main priests of Mars in Rome were the flamen Martialis and the Salii, and sacrifices offered to him usually consisted of the suovetaurilia , the joint sacrifice of a bull, ram, and boar. The names “Mars” and “Mamers” can be traced back to the proto‐Indo‐European root mar ‐, which is also present in the Sanskrit word marikis (“beam of light, radiant”).