Ares and Cupid
Ancient Greek Mythology, Religion, Art
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Because Ares, the Greek god of war, represented all of the worst aspects of warfare, battle, and slaughter, worship of him was not very common or extensive in Greece. These attributes of Ares should be contrasted with the warrior goddess Athena who represents more rational and orderly aspects of warfare. He does, in fact, often take the opposite side from Athena in various conflicts - for example, during the Trojan War.
Ares was more popular in northern Greek areas like Thrace, but even here temple sites are pretty rare - which also means that details about the worship rituals are scanty. At Sparta it is thought that human sacrifices were sometimes made to Ares, with victims chosen from enemy prisoners of war. Temples in Crete seem to have had sacrifices made to both Ares and Aphrodite.
There is also a site dedicated to him in Athens, Ares Hill at the base of the Acropolis (more commonly known as Mars Hill). Pausanias describes Ares Hill thus:
[At Athens] is a sanctuary of Ares, where are placed two images of Aphrodite, one of Ares made by Alkamenes, and one of Athena made by a Parian of the name of Lokros. There is also an image of Enyo, made by the sons of Praxiteles. About the temple stand images of Herakles, Theseus, Apollon binding his hair with a fillet, and statues of Kalades, who it is said framed laws for the Athenians, and of Pindaros, the statue being one of the rewards the Athenians gave him for praising them in an ode.
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