Sanctuary of Pleistoros

Pleistoros was the Getae god of war. As in the cases of other Getae and Thracian deities, there is little known about him, but comparisons can be drawn with the gods of the neighbouring Greeks. For Pleistoros, the most likely parallel is with Ares, the Greek war god. Ares embodied the chaotic aspects of war, whereas Athena embodied the more considered, strategic elements of battle. It is also likely that Pleistoros was akin to Ares as, according to Herodotus, human sacrifices were offered to him in the same way. There is further evidence of human sacrifice in the pantheon of the nearby Illyrians, as King Cleitus sacrificed many human lives to Armatus, the Illyrian god of war, before joining battle with the Macedonians. It is likely that worship of Pleistoros was widespread, as the Getae and the Dacians were often at war with each other, amongst themselves, against Macedon, and finally, with Rome.