In Roman religion , guardian deities.
Originally gods of cultivated fields, Lares were later worshiped in association with the Penates , the gods of the household. The household Lar, considered the centre of the family cult, was often represented as a youthful figure holding a drinking horn and cup. Two Lares might be portrayed standing on either side of Vesta or some other deity. A prayer was said to the Lar or Lares every morning, and offerings were made at family festivals. Public Lares presided over local districts marked by a crossroads; state Lares ( praestites ), guardians of Rome, were worshiped in a temple on the Via Sacra.