User:Cynwolfe/Venus and Mars altar



The Altar of Mars and Venus from Ostia is a marble altar with mythological reliefs on all four sides. It was crafted during the reign of Trajan, probably in honor of Mars, but was repurposed during the time of Hadrian as a base for a votive statue of Silvanus. The connections between Mars and Silvanus existed in Rome's earliest religious practices, as Cato the Elder records an archaic agricultural prayer that invokes Mars Silvanus either jointly or as one.

Description
The altar is made from xxxxxx marble. It measures

The panel with the densest imagery portrays Romulus and Remus suckled by the she-wolf, the river god Tiberinus, shepherds (among them probably Faustulus, the twins' foster father), and the eagle of Jupiter. If one views the altar by standing before this panel, the side adjacent to the right depicts xxxxxxx. To the left, xxxxxx. The panel opposite the Romulus and Remus scene

depicts Mars, wearing a helmet and xxxxxxx, with Venus

One side depicts Cupids playing with the weapons of Mars