Mars on Statue of The Duke of Wellington – Manchester, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 28.851 W 002° 14.140
30U E 550722 N 5926035
The Roman God Mars is the god of war, and one of four allegorical figures at the corners of the base of the main statue of the Duke of Wellington.
Waymark Code: WMDVCE
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 02/26/2012
Views: 1
The Roman God Mars
He was one of the most important of the Roman gods and an entire month of the year was dedicated to him. We know the month as March, the first month of spring and the month that the Romans started military campaigns.
He is characterized as the god who took a savage delight in slaughter, and the hordes of slain upon the battlefield filled him with a fierce joy.
The word martial, pertaining to war, came from Mars, the god of war. http://www.wordsources.info/mars.html
I can understand why Mars is present on this statue dedicated to such a successful military campaigner, however I’m not sure Wellington would necessarily wanted to have been thought of as someone who took savage delight in slaughter.
The Statue
The statue was unveiled on 30th August 1856 to commemorate the life of the Duke of Wellington.
The Duke had been a hugely successful military commander who had fought in 60 different battles. He was especially loved in the UK for his defeat of the French and especially Napoleon Bonaparte.
In recognition of his successes in battle he won many awards and tiles both in the UK and in other countries in Europe. His highest titles were Duke of Wellington in the U.K., Duke of Vitoria in Portugal, Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo in Spain and Prince of Waterloo in The Netherlands.
He was also one of those rare people who went on after a successful military career to also have a successful political career. He was Prime Minister of the U.K. twice and then went on to become a Peer in the UK’s upper house, the House of Lords.
The city of Manchester had decided within 4 days of Wellington’s death that they wished to erect a statue and announced a competition.
The chosen design by Matthew Noble shows Wellington as a Politician giving a speech with 4 allegorical figures, representing four aspects of his life.
Mars, the God of War, wearing a helmet and with sword in hand, exemplifying valour.
Minerva, representing wisdom.
Victory, holding a wreath of oak leaves in her right hand.
Peace, holding an olive branch, a cornucopia at her feet.
Time Period: Ancient
Epic Type: Mythical
Exhibit Type: Figure, Statue, 3D Art
Approximate Date of Epic Period: Not listed
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