The Significance of Mars to Past Civilizations

While Saturn has played a huge part in the daily lives of past civilizations, Mars might have been debatably more important. When you look at images of Mars, you think of a red, angry planet that almost seems like it is stained from countless battles. This is exactly what the Greeks and Romans believed, and tied into much of their daily lives.

Ares, the god of war

The Greeks believed Mars was the Greek god of war Ares. While Ares represented strength and power in battle, he also represented fear, destruction, and mass killing. The Greeks believed that Ares murdered Poseidon's son Alirrothio and as a result was hated by his father Zeus. Along with this, the Greeks believed in countless stories of Ares trying to seduce other god and participating in many love affairs. Ares did whatever he wanted and did not care about what anyone else had to say. Due to this, it is no wonder that the Greeks were in awe of Mars. Mars was only ranked second behind Jupiter which was revered as the almighty Zeus.

Mars with Aphrodite

While the Greeks believed Mars was Ares, the Romans actually named the red planet Mars. To the Romans, Mars signified more than just war. Mars was the planet of energy, action and desire. The Romans thought of Mars as the animal instinct of humans and the idea of acting solely on impulse. The Romans would especially emphasize acting on a sexual nature as an impulse.  Like the Greeks, the Romans believed Mars signified aggression and anger and embodied the forceful nature like that of Ares. However, the Romans also believed that Mars was the guardian of agriculture and promoted good harvests and crops as well.


It's really amazing to see how important Mars was to the past civilizations of the Greeks and Romans. Although no one might believe in Greek and Roman mythology any longer, the planet of Mars still plays a part in our lives even after so many years later. While a lot of people know that Mars represents the war and fighting, we can see this in our entertainment as well. There are movies and books that appear all the time about Martians and the thought of aliens out there. Games like God of War have been ongoing for years that actually emphasize Greek and Roman mythology. While we might not view Mars in the same way as these past civilizations, Mars still plays a part in our lives today.