Mars, in Roman mythology, the god of war. Usually he is pictured as a young, armed warrior. In pre-Roman Italy, he was worshiped as an agricultural deity. Mars was the son of Jupiter and Juno. Legend identified him as father of Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome, by the vestal Rhea Silvia. March, the first month of the Roman year, was named for him. His festival, marked by war dances and games, occurred during its first three weeks. The Field of Mars (Campus Martins), an area alongside the east bank of the Tiber in northwest Rome, was used for military drills and parades and for public meetings. The Greek equivalent of Mars was Ares.