Mars was the Roman god of war. Mars was obsessed with war, almost to the exclusion of anything else, except for beautiful goddesses, especially Venus.

He was the son of Juno and either Jupiter or a magical flower. He began as the Roman god of fertility and plants and a protector of cattle, fields and boundaries, Mars later became associated with battle and identified with the Greek god Ares. He was also the legendary father of Rome's founder, Romulus. It was believed that all Romans were descended from Mars.

Mars was more widely worshipped than any of the other Roman gods, probably in part because his sons Romulus and Remus, were said to have founded Rome. The Romans called themselves the sons of Mars. Venus, was Mars' lover in legends borrowed from the Greek myths.

Mars looked after springtime and crops, but he was mainly thought of as the god of war, and sacrifices were offered to him before battles.

In Rome there was an area called the Campus Martius ("Field of Mars") and this was where soldiers and athletes trained.

The most important temple to Mars was just outside Rome. It was the place where the Roman army gathered before leaving for a war, and was where they celebrated on returning from victorious battles.

Another major temple to Mars was on the Capitoline Hill, and yet another was in the Forum of Augustus.