Lares (/ˈlɑːriːz/; Latin: Larēs, [ˈɫa.reːs], archaic Lases, singular Lar), were guardian deities in ancient Roman religion. Their origin is uncertain; they may have been hero-ancestors, guardians of the hearth, fields, boundaries or fruitfulness, or an amalgamation of these.

Lares were believed to observe, protect and influence all that happened within the boundaries of their location or function. The statues of domestic Lares were placed at the table during family meals; their presence, cult and blessing seem to have been required at all important family events. Roman writers sometimes identify or conflate them with ancestor-deities, domestic Penates and the hearth. Because of these associations, Lares are sometimes categorised as household gods but some had much broader domains. Roadways, seaways, agriculture, livestock, towns, cities, the state and its military were all under the protection of their particular Lar or Lares. Those who protected local neighbourhoods (vici) were housed in the crossroad shrines (Compitales) which served as a focus for the religious, social and political life of their local, overwhelmingly plebeian communities. Their cult officials included freedmen and slaves, otherwise excluded by status or property qualification from most administrative and religious offices.

Lare is one of the woredas in the Gambela Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Nuer Zone, Lare is bordered on the south and east by the Anuak Zone, on the west by the Baro River which separates it from Jikawo, and on the north by the Jikawo River which separates it from South Sudan. Towns in Lare include Kowerneng.

The terrain in Lare consists of marshes and grasslands; elevations range from 300 to 400 meters above sea level. A notable landmark is Gambela National Park, which occupies part of the area south of the Baro.

At some point between 2001 and 2007, the eastern kebeles of Jikawo were split off to create Lare.

Demographics

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 31,406, of whom 16,145 are men and 15,261 women; with an area of 685.17 square kilometers, Lare has a population density of 45.84, which is greater than the Zone average of 23.79 persons per square kilometer. While 6,549 or 20.85% are urban inhabitants, a further 156 or 0.50% are pastoralists. A total of 5,432 households were counted in this woreda, which results in an average of 5.8 persons to a household, and 5,217 housing units. The majority of the inhabitants said they were Protestant, with 86.81% of the population reporting they observed this belief, while 7.48% practiced traditional religions, 2.69% were Catholic, and 1.79% of the population practised Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.