Other Facts Surrounding Ares
The cult of Ares was not as wide as that of the other gods. That is to say, among the Greek gods, the majority had their own large or small city of token following, and especially the major deities, and direct children of Zeus and Hera as well. Ares was often referred to in ballads of war and in poetry, and mentioned as well throughout the Illiad, but still had no real cult, or place in mythology, where he was seldom referred to. Sparta was the only place in which Ares was actually worshipped; the Spartan lifestyle and culture was that of the soldier. Women were not oppressed, but children born flawed were left outside the city to die, and boys began their training to be soldiers at very young ages.
The Spartans kept a statue of Ares in their city, with the god bound in chains. This was not in any way a picture of derogatory insult to Ares, instead it was a symbol that the spirit of war should remain in Sparta. In the agora at Athens, there was the temple to Ares, however, over the years it instead became instead a temple for the Roman god Mars. The temple to Mars has stood so long, and has been referred to in history as such over time to a degree that theories have developed that suggest the statue in Athens may even not be at all related to Ares, and was always a temple to serve Mars.
The mythology surrounding the founding of Thebes featured Ares, however, despite his being in few other myths. It was believed that the water-dragon slain by the hero Cadmus was one of many children of Ares. After Cadmus killed the dragon, its teeth were planted in the ground like seeds, and out of which grew the Spartans in full armor. The Spartans were believed to be the descendants and children of Ares. In order to make peace with the god Ares, he took Harmonia, the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite as his wife. Harmonia was as her name implies; the goddess of harmony, and peace. After Cadmus took her as his wife, then took place the founding of Thebes, and ended strife with Ares.
