Mars Uncovered
- Mar 26, 2019
- 1 min read
Updated: Jan 23, 2023
Bettany Hughes investigates the enduring relationship between warfare and worship, by following the trail through time of the ancient god of war, Mars. She begins in Carthage, site of one of the most significant and bloodiest victories in the history of the Roman Empire and explores the vital role of Mars in Rome's imperial expansion.
Visiting the British Museum, Bettany sees, at first hand, the earliest known evidence of human warfare - a 13,000-year-old graveyard in which many of the bodies showed signs of violent deaths. With bodies so carefully buried, Bettany asks if ritualising and celebrating war is a way of bringing societies together – of creating 'them' and 'us'.
Back in North Africa, at the spectacular Roman amphitheatre in El Djem, Bettany examines the symbolic role of the ‘ludi martiales’, or gladiatorial games, and finds out about the challenge posed by early Christianity to this celebration of war and ritualised death. Travelling to Jordan, she then tells the story of one of the bloodiest episodes in Crusader history and examines how the Christian notion of Holy War played out in practice, with Mars still very much a presence. She then tracks how the figure of Mars was used by artists such as Botticelli and Rubens to examine the inevitability of war, and whether peace might not proffer a better option. Following the World Wars, the red scare, and contemporary conflict in the Middle East, Bettany considers how Mars’s dominion has been sustained and asks whether the benefits of war still outweigh the horrors.
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Fascinating documentary that connects history, culture, and human conflict in a thoughtful way. Bettany Hughes always presents complex topics so clearly. Watching programs like this reminds us that every day brings new perspectives, Tu Chance Hoy to learn something meaningful.
Muito bom o artigo! Estava buscando mais detalhes sobre a spbet e este conteúdo respondeu às minhas perguntas. Parabéns pela qualidade das informações.
This article about Mars and ancient warfare is fascinating! It reminds me of how we use colors to represent different things, like in a pantone birth chart where colors can symbolize personality traits. So cool!
Playing a color puzzle like Color Match, where you calmly mix paint to recreate a shade on a 3D object, feels almost absurdly peaceful by comparison, kind of like sipping coffee while scrolling past news of distant conflicts, isn’t it?
Bettany Hughes’ exploration of Mars highlights the complex ties between warfare and worship throughout history. It's fascinating how ancient rituals shaped our understanding of conflict, much like the miside game reflects strategic thinking today.