Janus Janus by Micha F. Lindemans Janus is the Roman god of gates and doors (ianua), beginnings and endings, and hence represented with a double-faced head, each looking in opposite directions. He was worshipped at the beginning of the harvest time, planting, marriage, birth, and other types of beginnings, especially the beginnings of important events in a person's life. Janus also represents the transition between primitive life and civilization, between the countryside and the city, peace and war, and the growing-up of young people. One tradition states that he came from Thessaly and that he was welcomed by Camese in Latium, where they shared a kingdom. They married and had several children, among which the river god Tiberinus (after whom the river Tiber is named). When his wife died, Janus became the sole ruler of Latium. He sheltered Saturn when he was fleeing from Jupiter . Janus, as the first king of Latium, brought the people a time of peace and welfare; the Golden Age. He introduced money, cultivation of the fields, and the laws. After his death he was deified and became the protector of Rome.

When Romulus and his associates stole the Sabine Virgins, the Sabines attacked the city. The daughter of one of the guards on the Capitolian Hill betrayed her fellow countrymen and guided the enemy into the city. They attempted to climb the hill but Janus made a hot spring erupt from the ground, and the would-be attackers fled from the city. Ever since, the gates of his temple were kept open in times of war so the god would be ready to intervene when necessary. In times of peace the gates were closed. His most famous sanctuary was a portal on the Forum Romanum through which the Roman legionaries went to war. He also had a temple on the Forum Olitorium, and in the first century another temple was built on the Forum of Nerva. This one had four portals, called Janus Quadrifons. When Rome became a republic, only one of the royal functions survived, namely that of rex sacrorum or rex sacrificulus. His priests regularly sacrificed to him. The month of January (the eleventh Roman month) is named after him. Janus was represented with two faces, originally one face was bearded while the other was not (probably a symbol of the sun and the moon).

Later both faces were bearded. In his right hand he holds a key. The double-faced head appears on many Roman coins, and around the 2nd century BCE even with four faces. Article details: Meet Janus, Father of Zeus and Roman Original Updated April 13, 2016. Who Is Janus? Janus is an ancient Roman, composite god who is associated with doorways, beginnings, and transitions. A usually two-faced god, he looks to both the future and the past at the same time, embodying a binary. The concept of the month of January (the beginning of one year and the ending of the end) is both based on aspects of Janus. Plutarch writes in his Life of Numa : For this Janus, in remote antiquity, whether he was a demi-god or a king, was a patron of civil and social order, and is said to have lifted human life out of its bestial and savage state. For this reason he is represented with two faces, implying that he brought men's lives out of one sort and condition into another.

In his Fasti , Ovid dubs this god "two-headed Janus, opener of the softly gliding year." He's a god of many different names and many different jobs, a unique individual the Romans regarded as fascinating even in their own time, as Ovid notes: But what god am I to say thou art, Janus of double-shape? for Greece hath no divinity like thee. The reason, too, unfold why alone of all the heavenly one thou doest see both back and front. continue reading below our video 10 Facts About the Titanic That You Don't Know He was also considered the guardian of peace, a time at which when the door to his shrine was closed. Honors: The most famous temple to Janus in Rome is called the Ianus Geminus, or "Twin Janus." When its doors were open, neighboring cities knew that Rome was at war. Plutarch quips: The latter was a difficult matter, and it rarely happened, since the realm was always engaged in some war, as its increasing size brought it into collision with the barbarous nations which encompassed it round about. When the two doors ( hint, hint) were closed, Rome was at peace.

In his account of his accomplishments, Emperor Augustus says the gateway doors were closed only twice before him: by Numa (235 B.C.) and Manlius (30 B.C.), but Plutarch says, "During the reign of Numa, however, it was not seen open for a single day, but remained shut for the space of forty-three years together, so complete and universal was the cessation of war." Augustus closed them three times: in 29 B.C. after the Battle of Actium, in 25 B.C., and a debated third time. There were other temples for Janus, one on his hill, the Janiculum, and another built, in 260 at the Forum Holitorium, constructed by C. Duilius for a Punic War naval victory. Janus in Art: Janus is usually shown with two faces, one looking forward and the other backward, as through a gateway. Sometimes one face is clean-shaven and the other bearded. Sometimes Janus is depicted with four faces overlooking four forums. He might hold a staff. The Family of Janus: Camese, Jana and Juturna were wives of Janus.

Janus was the father of Tiberinus and Fontus. History of Janus: Janus, the mythical ruler of Latium, was responsible for the Golden Age and brought money and agriculture to the area. He is associated with trade, streams and springs. He could have been an early sky god. -Edited by Carly Silver Janus *** Who was Janus? Janus was the Roman god of doors, choices, beginnings and endings. He had two faces on his head. One facing forwards and one facing backwards. The Romans prayed to him for advice, especially in respect of new enterprises. He also represented time, because he could see into the past with one face and into the future with the other. The festival of Agonalia was celebrated in honor of the god Janus four times during the year, 17 March, 21 May, 11 December, and 9 January. On these days, the symbolic head of the Roman state religion (rex sacrorum) would enter the Forum, and sacrifice a ram to the god. The role of Janus was as the porter of heaven. He opened the year in Januarius (January), the first month being named after him.

He was the guardian god of gates and doors, on which account he was commonly represented with two heads, looking at those who wished to gain entrance and those who wanted to exit. Janus possessed no temples in Rome, but all the gates of cities were dedicated to him. Close to the Forum stood the so-called 'temple' of Janus, which was merely an arched passage that could be closed by massive gates. The gates were always open in time of war, as it was believed that the god had then taken his departure with the Roman army, over whose welfare he personally presided. The Romans were engaged in so many wars that the gates of this sanctuary were only closed three times during 700 years, indicating peace. The gates were shut only once between the reign of Numa Pompilius (who reigned 715ï¿½673 BC) and twice in of the Emperor Augustus who reigned until 14 AD. Facts about Janus The following facts and profile provides a fast overview of Janus: Janus Profile & Fact File Roman Name: Janus Role & Function: The function of Janus is described as being the god of doors, choices, beginnings and endings.

He was the God of Choices and the God of Doorways and Gates Status: Minor Roman god Symbols: Keys, a rod and scepter Gender: Male Greek Counterpart: There was no Greek counterpart of Janus Name of Consorts: Camese, Jana and Juturna Name of Father: Some say the god Apollo Name of Mother: Unknown Names of Children: The river god Tiberinus (after whom the river Tiber was named). and Fontus the God of Springs Facts about Janus in Roman Mythology and History Discover interesting information and facts about the Roman god of doors, beginnings and endings. The facts about Janus provides a list detailing fascinating additional info to increase your knowledge about Janus in Roman Mythology and history. History and Mythical Facts about Janus Fact 1 about Janus: The most famous 'temple' to Janus in Rome, on the Argiletum, is called the Ianus Geminus 'Twin Janus'.

Fact 2 about Janus: He was usually depicted with two faces and in his special function as door-keeper of heaven he was portrayed standing erect, bearing a key in one hand, and a rod or sceptre in the other Fact 3 about Janus: Offerings to him include a ram (on the Agonalia), incense, wine, barley and cakes Fact 4 about Janus: Any rite or religious act first required the invocation of Janus, with a corresponding invocation to Vesta at the end of the rite (Janus primus and Vesta extrema). Fact 5 about Janus: During the Titan war, he joined the Titans against the Olympians Fact 6 about Janus: Deference was also paid to him at the most important beginnings in the life of an individual such as birth and marriage. Fact 7 about Janus: The god Saturn bestowed his ability to see into the future and past. Fact 8 about Janus: His name comes from the Latin word ianua, meaning ï¿½door.ï¿½ Fact 9 about Janus: The Roman god appeared on some of the earliest coins of the Roman Republic, appearing about 240 B.C.

during the Pyrrhic War. Fact 10 about Janus: Every meal was begun with a request for his blessing, and public ceremonies began with a libation drunk to the god of beginnings Janus - Roman gods & Roman Religion Janus, the Roman god of doors, beginnings and endings, was one of the vast number of gods and goddesses worshipped by the Ancient Romans. The legends and myths about Janus have been passed down through the ages and play an important role the history of Rome and the Ancient World. Janus features in the religious beliefs of the ancient Romans which are based on the idea that these supernatural deities resembled mortals but possessed great magical and mystic powers. The Roman gods and goddesses were immortal but not invulnerable. The Roman religion significantly differed from the Greeks in that it was officially endorsed by the state and exerted influence over the government of Rome Politicians took the offices of influential priests, called pontiffs, to gain control of the popular worship Roman gods and goddesses like Janus were worshipped at every public event, including the gladiatorial games Blood sacrifices were made to the gods The Roman religion was practical - every Roman god and goddess, like Janus, had something to do and some useful office to perform.

Roman gods and goddesses, such as Janus, possessed supernatural powers and presided over specific dominions and were strongly associated with areas of power. Janus is known as the Roman god of doors, choices, beginnings and endings. Janus Interesting information and Facts about the Roman god Janus The Roman god of doors, beginnings and endings Stories and Legends in Roman Mythology associated with Janus Facts and information about the Gods and Deities of the Ancient World for schools and kids The Roman god of doors, beginnings and endings 1000+ images about Janus on Pinterest | Museum of art, 1st century and Religion Forward Image of Janus. Roman deity of doorways. Later, with the establishment of the Roman Calendar, during the age of Kingdoms, Janus was also the name sake for January because he is looking to the future and the past at the same time. See More Janus: Roman God of Beginnings The first of January was dedicated by the Romans to their God of Gates and Doors, Janus. A very old Italian God, Janus has a distinctive artistic appearance in that he is commonly depicted with two faces...one regarding what is behind and the other looking toward what lies ahead.

Thus, Janus is representative of contemplation on the happenings of an old year while looking forward to the new. Some sources claim that Janus was characterized in such a peculiar fashion due to the notion that doors and gates look in two directions. Therefore, the God could look both backward and forward at the same time. Originally, Janus was portrayed with one bearded face and the other clean-shaven, which may have symbolized the moon and the sun, or age and youth. Later, he is most often shown with beards on both faces and frequently holds a key in his right hand. Very early statues of Janus (around the Second Century B.C.) depict him with four faces. In his role as the Guardian of Exits and Entrances, Janus was also believed to represent beginnings. The explanation for this belief being that one must emerge through a door or gate in order to enter into a new place.

Therefore, the Romans also considered Janus as the God of Beginnings and his name was an obvious choice for the first month of their year...a month referred to by the Ancient Romans as Ianuarius, which is not so far removed from the modern-day "January," taken from the Etruscan word jauna which means "door." Originally, however, Janus was honored on the first day of every month, in addition to being worshipped at the beginning of planting season and again at the harvest. Deference was also paid to him at the most important beginnings in the life of an individual...such as birth and marriage. The origins of this God vary somewhat, dependent upon the source. One legend states that Janus was a mortal who came from Thessaly and was welcomed into Latium by Camese. The couple are said to have married, shared the kingdom and had many children together, including Tiberinus, the Tiber River-God. Upon the death of Camese, Janus became the sole ruler and granted Saturn sanctuary when that ancient God was fleeing from Jupiter. As the first King of Latium, Janus ensured a time of peace, honesty and abundance for his people...an era known as the Golden Age.

He introduced money, cultivation of the fields and laws. He is also said to have later married a nymph named Juturna, whose spring and shrine were located closed to his temple in the Forum of Rome. One of their children was Fons (also known as Fontus), God of Springs. It was only after his death that Janus was deified and became the Protector of the City. In Rome, temples dedicated to Janus were numerous, the most important being known as the Ianus Geminus, a double-gated structure (one door facing the rising sun and the other, the setting sun) found on the Forum Romanum through which the Roman legionaries marched off to battle. This particular temple served a symbolic function. When the gates of the temple were closed, this represented peace within the Roman Empire. When the gates were open, it meant that Rome was at war. Between the reigns of Numa and Augustus, the gates were shut only once. Janus also had a temple on the Forum Olitorium and some time during the First Century, yet another temple was built in his honor on the Forum of Nerva. This particular temple had four portals known as the Ianus Quadrifons.

At all temples, the priests of Janus sacrificed to him on a regular basis. Janus was well-respected and highly-regarded as a God by the ancient Romans and his dual-faced image could be found on most city gates and many Roman coins. Given his role as Guardian of Gates, his position as the God of Beginnings and the esteem of having the first month of the year named in his honor, it is apparent that Janus played a significant role in Roman myth and religion. He was invoked at the start of each new day and often referred to as the Porter of Heaven. He particularly presided over all that is double-edged in life and represented the transition between the primitive and civilization. There are few legendary tales to be found which feature Janus, although his extra eyes did, on one occasion, enable him to catch a nymph named Carna, who liked to tease her suitors with sexual advances before suddenly taking flight. Their son later became King of a city known as Alba Longa. Janus has no counterpart in the mythology of the Greeks.

Janus - God of Gates and Doors - Crystalinks Janus In ancient Roman religion and mythology, Janus is the god of beginnings and transitions, thence also of gates, doors, doorways, endings and time. He is usually a two-faced god since he looks to the future and the past. The Romans dedicated the month of January to Janus. His most apparent remnant in modern culture is his namesake, the month of January. Though he was usually depicted with two faces looking in opposite directions (Janus Geminus (twin Janus) or Bifrons), in some places he was Janus Quadrifrons (the four-faced). The Romans associated Janus with the Etruscan deity Ani. Janus was frequently used to symbolize change and transitions such as the progression of past to future, of one condition to another, of one vision to another, and of one universe to another. Hence, Janus was worshipped at the beginnings of the harvest and planting times, as well as marriages, births and other beginnings. He was representative of the middle ground between barbarity and civilization, rural country and urban cities, and youth and adulthood.

Theology and Functions While the fundamental nature of Janus is debated, in most modern scholars' view the set of the god's functions may be seen as being organized around a simple principle: that of presiding over all beginnings and transitions, whether abstract or concrete, sacred or profane. Interpretations concerning the god's fundamental nature either limit it to this general function or emphasize a concrete or particular aspect of it (identifying him with light the sun, the moon, time, movement, the year, doorways, bridges etc.) or see in the god a sort of cosmological principle, i. e. interpret him as a uranic deity. Almost all these modern interpretations were originally formulated by the ancients. The function of 'god of beginnings' has been clearly expressed in numerous ancient sources, among them most notably perhaps Cicero, Ovid and Varro. As a god of motion he looks after passages, causes actions to start and presides over all beginnings, and since movement and change are bivalent, he has a double nature, symbolized in his two headed image. He has under his tutelage the stepping in and out of the door of homes, the ianua, which took its name from him, and not viceversa.

Similarly his tutelage extends to the covered passages named iani and foremost to the gates of the city, including the cultic gate called the Argiletum, named Ianus Geminus or Porta Ianualis from which he protects Rome against the Sabines. He is also present at the Sororium Tigillum, where he guards the terminus of the ways into Rome from Latium. He has an altar, later a temple near the Porta Carmentalis, where the road leading to Veii ended, as well as being present on the Janiculum, a gateway from Rome out to Etruria. The connexion of the notions of beginning (principium), movement, transition (eundo), and thence time has been clearly expressed by Cicero. In general, Janus is at the origin of time as the guardian of the gates of Heaven: Jupiter himself moves forth and back because of Janus's working. In one of his temples, probably that of Forum Holitorium, the hands of his statue were positioned to signify the number 355 (the number of days in a year), later 365, symbolically expressing his mastership over time.

He presides over the concrete and abstract beginnings of the world, such as religion and the gods themselves, he too holds the access to Heaven and other gods: this is the reason why men must invoke him first, regardless of the god they want to pray or placate. He is the initiator of human life, of new historical ages, and financial enterprises: according to myth he was the first to mint coins and the as, first coin of the libral series, bears his effigy on one face. Janus frequently symbolized change and transitions such as the progress of future to past, from one condition to another, from one vision to another, and young people's growth to adulthood. He was represented time, because he could see into the past with one face and into the future with the other. Hence, Janus was worshipped at the beginnings of the harvest and planting times, as well as at marriages, deaths and other beginnings. He represented the middle ground between barbarism and civilization, rural and urban, youth and adulthood. Having jurisdiction over beginnings Janus had an intrinsic association with omens and auspices. Leonhard Schmitz suggests that he was likely the most important god in the Roman archaic pantheon.

He was often invoked together with Iuppiter (Jupiter). According to Macrobius citing Nigidius Figulus and Cicero, Janus and Jana (Diana) are a pair of divinities, worshipped as Apollo or the sun and moon, whence Janus received sacrifices before all the others, because through him is apparent the way of access to the desired deity. A similar solar interpretation has been offered by A. Audin who interprets the god as the issue of a long process of development, starting with the Sumeric cultures, from the two solar pillars located on the eastern side of temples, each of them marking the direction of the rising sun at the dates of the two solstices: the southeastern corresponding to the Winter and the northeastern to the Summer solstice. These two pillars would be at the origin of the theology of the divine twins, one of whom is mortal (related to the NE pillar, as confining with the region where the sun does not shine) and the other is immortal (related to the SE pillar and the region where the sun always shines). Later these iconographic models evolved in the Middle East and Egypt into a single column representing two torsos and finally a single body with two heads looking at opposite directions.

Arch of Janus in the Forum Boarium, framing the Church of St. George, Velabro Temples Numa built the Ianus geminus (also Janus Bifrons, Janus Quirinus or Portae Belli), a passage ritually opened at times of war, and shut again when Roman arms rested. It formed a walled enclosure with gates at each end, situated between the old Roman Forum and that of Julius Caesar, which had been consecrated by Numa Pompilius himself. About the exact location and aspect of the temple there has been much debate among scholars. In wartime the gates of the Janus were opened, and in its interior sacrifices and vaticinia were held, to forecast the outcome of military deeds. The doors were closed only during peacetime, an extremely rare event. The function of the Ianus Geminus was supposed to be a sort of good omen: in time of peace it was said to close the wars within or to keep peace inside; in times of war it was said to be open to allow the return of the people on duty.

A temple of Janus is said to have been consecrated by the consul Gaius Duilius in 260 BCE after the Battle of Mylae in the Forum Holitorium. It contained a statue of the god with the right hand showing the number 300 and the left the number 65, i. e. the length in days of the solar year, and twelve altars, one for each month. The four-sided structure known as the Arch of Janus in the Forum Transitorium dates from the 1st century CE: according to common opinion it was built by the Emperor Domitian. However American scholars L. Ross Taylor and L. Adams Holland on the grounds of a passage of Statius maintain that it was an earlier structure (tradition has it the Ianus Quadrifrons was brought to Rome from Falerii) and that Domitian only surrounded it with his new forum. In fact the building of the Forum Transitorium was completed and inaugurated by Nerva in 96 CE. Rites The rites concerning Janus were numerous. Owing to the versatile and far reaching character of the basic function of the god, marking beginnings and transitions, his presence was ubiquitous and fragmented.

Apart from the rites solemnizing the beginning of the new year and of every month, there were the special times of year which marked the beginning and the closing of the military season, in March and October respectively. These included the rite of the arma movere on March 1 and that of the arma condere at the end of the month performed by the Salii, and the Tigillum Sororium on October 1. Janus Quirinus was closely associated with the anniversaries of the dedications of the temples of Mars on June 1 (a date that corresponded with the festival of Carna, a deity associated with Janus: see below) and of that of Quirinus on June 29 (which was the last day of the month in the pre-Julian calendar). These important rites are discussed in detail below. Any rite or religious act whatever first required the invocation of Janus, with a corresponding invocation to Vesta at the end (Janus primus and Vesta extrema).

Instances are to be found in the Carmen Saliare, the formula of the devotio, the lutration of the fields and the sacrifice of the porca praecidanea, the Acta of the Arval Brethren. Although Janus had no flamen, he was closely associated with the rex sacrorum who performed his sacrifices and took part in most of his rites: the rex was the first in the ordo sacerdotum hierarchy of priests.The flamen of Portunus performed the ritual greasing of the spear of the god Quirinus on August 17, day of the Portunalia, on the same date that the temple of Janus in the Forum Holitorium had been consecrated (by consul Caius Duilius in 260 BC). Portunus seems to be a god closely related to Janus, if with a specifically restricted area of competence, in that he presides over doorways and harbours and shares with Janus his two symbols, the key and the stick. Beginning of the Year The Winter solstice was thought to occur on December 25.

January 1 was new year day: the day was consecrated to Janus since it was the first of the new year and of the month (kalends) of Janus: the feria had an augural character as Romans believed the beginning of anything was an omen for the whole. Thus on that day it was customary to exchange cheerful words of good wishes. For the same reason everybody devoted a short time to his usual business, exchanged dates, figs and honey as a token of well wishing and made gifts of coins called strenae. Cakes made of spelt (far) and salt were offered to the god and burnt on the altar. Ovid states that in most ancient times there were no animal sacrifices and gods were propitiated with offerings of spelt and pure salt. This libum was named ianual and it was probably correspondent to the summanal offered the day before the Summer solstice to god Summanus, which however was sweet being made with flour, honey and milk. Shortly afterwards, on January 9, on the feria of the Agonium of January the rex sacrorum offered the sacrifice of a ram to Janus.

Space Janus was also involved in spatial transitions, presiding over home doors, city gates and boundaries. Numerous toponyms of places located at the boundary between the territory of two communities, especially Etrurians and Latins or Umbrians, are named after the god. The most notable instance is the Ianiculum which marked the access to Etruria from Rome. Since borders often coincided with rivers and the border of Rome (and other Italics) with Etruria was the Tiber, it has been argued that its crossing had a religious connotation; it would have involved a set of rigorous apotropaic practices and a devotional attitude. Janus would have originally regulated particularly the crossing of this sacred river through the pons sublicius. Janus was the protector of doors, gates and roadways in general, as is shown by his two symbols, the key and the staff. The key too was a sign that the traveller had come to a harbor or ford in peace in order to exchange his goods. The rite of the bride's oiling the posts of the door of her new home with wolf fat at her arrival, though not mentioning Janus explicitly, is a rite of passage related to the ianua.

Myths In discussing myths about Janus one should be careful in distinguishing those who are ancient and originally Latin and others which were later attributed to him by Greek mythographers. In the Fasti Ovid relates only the myths that associate Janus to Saturn, whom he welcomed as a guest and with whom eventually shared his kingdom in reward of his teaching the art of agriculture, and to the nymph Crane Grane or Carna, whom Janus raped and made the goddess of hinges as Cardea, while in the Metamorphoses he records his fathering with Venilia the nymph Canens, loved by Picus. The myth of Crane has been studied by M. Renard and G. Dumezil. The first scholar sees in it a sort of parallel with the theology underlying the rite of the Tigillum Sororium. Crane is a nymph of the sacred wood of Helernus, located at the issue of the Tiber, whose festival of February 1 corresponded with that of Juno Sospita: Crane might be seen as a minor imago of the goddess.

Her habit of deceiving her male pursuers by hiding in crags in the soil reveals her association not only with vegetation but also with rocks, caverns, and underpassages. Her nature looks to be also associated with vegetation and nurture: G. Dumezil has proved that Helernus was a god of vegetation, vegetative lushiousness and orchards, particularly associated with vetch. As Ovid writes in his Fasti, June 1 was the festival day of Carna, besides being the kalendary festival of the month of Juno and the festival of Juno Moneta. Ovid seems to purposefully conflate and identify Carna with Cardea in the aetiologic myth related above. Consequently the association of both Janus and god Helernus with Carna-Crane is highlighted in this myth: it was customary on that day eating vetch and lard, which were supposed to strengthen the body. Cardea had also magic powers for protecting doorways (by touching thresholds and posts with wet hawthorn twigs) and newborn children by the aggression of the striges (in the myth the young Proca). M.

Renard sees the association of Janus with Crane as reminiscent of widespread rites of lustration and fertility performed through the ritual walking under low crags or holes in the soil or natural hollows in trees, which in turn are reflected in the lustrative rite of the Tigillum Sororium. Macrobius relates Janus was supposed to have shared a kingdom with Camese in Latium, on a place then named Camesene. He states that Hyginus recorded the tale on the authority of a Protarchus of Tralles. In Macrobius Camese is a male: after Camese's death Janus reigned alone. However Greek authors make of Camese Janus's sister and spouse: Atheneus citing a certain Drakon of Corcyra writes that Janus fathered with his sister Camese a son named Aithex and a daughter named Olistene. Servius Danielis states Tiber (i. e. Tiberinus) was their son. Arnobius writes that Fontus was the son of Janus and Juturna.

The name itself proves that this is a secondary form of Fons modelled on Janus, denouncing the late character of this myth: it was probably conceived because of the proximity of the festivals of Juturna (January 11) and the Agonium of Janus (January 9) as well as for the presence of an altar of Fons near the Janiculum and the closeness of the notions of spring and of beginning. Plutarch writes that according to some Janus was a Greek from Perrhebia. When Romulus and his men kidnapped the Sabine women, Janus caused a volcanic hot spring to erupt, resulting in the would-be attackers being buried alive in the deathly hot, brutal water and ash mixture of the rushing hot volcanic springs that killed, burned, or disfigured many of Tatius's men. This spring is called Lautolae by Varro. Later on, however, the Sabines and Romans agreed on creating a new community together. In honor of this, the doors of a walled roofless structure called 'The Janus' (not a temple) were kept open during war after a symbolic contingent of soldiers had marched through it. The doors were closed in ceremony when peace was concluded.

A bronze as from Canusium depicting a laureate Janus with the prow of a ship on the reverse Origin, Legends and History In accord with his fundamental character of being the Beginner Janus was considered by Romans the first king of Latium, sometimes along with Camese. He would have received hospitably god Saturn, who, expelled from Heaven by Jupiter, arrived on a ship to the Janiculum. Janus would have also effected the miracle of turning the waters of the spring at the foot of the Viminal from cold to scorching hot in order to fend off the assault of the Sabines of king Titus Tatius, come to avenge the kidnapping of their daughters by the Romans. His temple named Janus Geminus had to stand open in times of war. It was said to have been built by king Numa Pompilius, who kept it always shut during his reign as there were no wars. After him it was closed very few times, one after the end of the first Punic War, three times under Augustus and once by Nero. It is recorded that emperor Gordianus III opened the Janus Geminus.

It is a noteworthy curiosity that the opening of the Janus was perhaps the last act connected to the ancient religion in Rome: Procopius writes that in 536 CE, during the Gothic War, while general Belisarius was under siege in Rome, at night somebody opened the Janus Geminus stealthily, which had long stayed closed since 390, year on which Theodosius I's edict banned the ancient cults. Janus was faithful to his liminal role also in the marking of this last act. The uniqueness of Janus in Latium has suggested to L. Adams Holland and J. Gag� the hypothesis of a cult brought from far away by sailors and strictly linked to the amphibious life of the primitive communities living on the banks of the Tiber. In the myth of Janus the ship of Saturn as well as the myth of Carmenta and Evander are remininscent of an ancient Preroman sailing life. The elements that connect Janus to sailing are summarized here below as presented in the work of Gage. 1. The boat of Janus and the beliefs of the primitive sailing techniques.

a) The proximity of Janus and Portunus and the functions of the flamen Portunalis. The temple of Janus was dedicated by C. Duilius on August 17, day of the Portunalia. The key was the symbol of both gods and was also meant to signify that the boarding boat was a peaceful merchant boat. The flamen Portunalis oiled the arms of Quirinus with an ointment kept in a peculiar container named persillum, term perhaps derived from Etruscan persie. A similar object seems to be represented in a fresco picture of the Calendar of Ostia on which young boys prepare to apply a resin contained in a basin to a boat standing on a cart, i.e. yet to be launched. b) The Tigillum Sororium would be related to a cult of wood of the Horatii, as shown by the episodes of the pons sublicius defended by Horatius Cocles and of the posts of the main entrance of the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, on which Marcus Horatius Pulvillus lay his hand during the dedication rite.

Gag� thinks the magic power of the Tigillum Sororium should be due to the living and burgeoning nature of wood. 2. Falacer and flamen Falacer as related to a sacred tree useful in shipbuilding. This flamen would be related to Janus as the flamen Portunalis is because of the association of pater Falacer and shipping. a) The name of divus pater Falacer[208] would be that of a Sabine god similar to Quirinus, i.e. a spear god from the town of Falacrinae.[209] The term is related to falarica, a javelin soaked in pitch, ending with a point of inflammable material. Falas in Etruscan means pole or tower. The name could be related to that of the faba graeca the Greek lotus, imported from Syria (Celtis australis). This tree would have been used among certain communities as the wild olive was to make rolls in order to haul ships upon. The name of the flamen would reflect an ancient name of this tree later corrupted into faba.

b) Religious quality of trees as the wild olive (analogous to that of corniolum and wild fig) to sailing communities: it does not rot in sea water, thence it was used in shipbuilding and the making of rolls for the hauling of ships overland. 3. Janus and the depiction of Boreas as Bifrons: climatological elements. a) The calendar of Numa and the role of Janus. Contradictions of the ancient Roman calendar on the beginning of the new year: originally March was the first month and February the last one. January, the month of Janus, became the first afterwards and through several manipulations. The liminal character of Janus is though present in the association to the Saturnalia of December, reflecting the strict relationship between the two gods and the rather blurred distinction of their stories and symbols. The initial role of Janus in the political-religious operations of January: nuncupatio votorum spanning the year, imperial symbol of the boat in the rite of opening of the sailing season of the vota felicia. Janus and his myths allow for an ancient interpretation of the vota felicia different from the Isiadic one.

b) The idea of the Seasons in the ancient traditions of the Ionian Islands. The crossing of the Hyperborean myths. Cephalonia as a place at the cross of famous winds. Application of the theory of winds for the navigation in the Ionian Sea. The type Boreas Bifrons as probable model of the Roman Janus. The observation has been made first by the Roscher Lexicon: "Ianus is he too, doubtlessly, a god of wind" and repeated in the RE Pauly-Wissowa s.v. Boreas by Rapp. P. Grimal has taken up this interpretation connecting it to a vase with red figures representing Boreas pursuing the nymph Oreithyia: Boreas is depicted as a two headed winged demon, the two faces with beards, one black and the other fair, perhaps symbolizing the double movement of the winds Boreas and Antiboreas. This proves the Greek of the V century BC did know the image of Janus. Gage feels compelled to mention here another parallel with Janus to be found in the figure of Argos with one hundred eyes and in his association with his murderer Hermes.

Among the winds studied by Greek sailors one can number Auster and Aquilon. Favonius on the other hand is not known to the Greek but is of particular relevance to the Roman as it started to blow exactly on the sixth day before the Idi of February: it was regarded as the bringer of the Springtime renewal of life. Few days later recurred the festival of Faunus, on the idi. c) Solar, solsticial and cosmological elements. While there is no direct proof of an original solar meaning of Janus, this being the issue of learned speculations of the Roman erudits initiated into the mysteries and of emperors as Domitian, the derivation from a Syrian cosmogonic deity proposed by P. Grimal looks more acceptable. Gage though sees an ancient, preclassical Greek mythic substratum to which belong Deucalion and Pyrrha and the Hyperborean origins of the Delphic cult of Apollo as well as the Argonauts. The beliefs in the magic power of trees is reflected in the use of the olive wood, as for the rolls of the ship Argo: the myth of the Argonauts has links with Corcyra, remembered by Ampelius. 4.

The sites of the cults of Janus at Rome and his associations in ancient Latium. a) Argiletum. Varro gives either the myth of the killing of Argos as an etymology of the word Argi-letum (death of Argos), which is not reliable, or the place standing upon a soil of clay, argilla. However the names in -etum are usually referred to trees. The place so named stood at the foot of the Viminal, the hill of the reeds. It could also be referred to the white willow tree, used to make objects of trelliswork. The word could also be linked to the Argei the 27 or 30 dolls thrown into the Tiber in the rite of May 15. On them the more accepted opinion (at the time, 1979) is that they represented Greeks, Argei being their ancient designation by the Romans. The rite could be a substitution rite for human sacrifices or be original as such. The most supported opinion among the Ancient was that of a rite of substitution of human sacrifices to Saturn ascribed to Hercules.

At any rate the rite must be associated to a local Preroman life linked to the Tiber, to a river religion in which the reeds harvested in the river itself or its banks had a peculiar value. Janus though is not present in this rite. b) The Janiculum may have been inhabited by people who were not Latin but had close alliances with Rome.The right bank of the Tiber would constitute a typical, commodious landing place for boats and the cult of Janus would have been double as far as amphibious. c) Janus's cultic alliances and relations in Latium show a Prelatin character. Janus has no association in cult (calendar or prayer formulae) with any other entity. Even though he has the epithet of Pater he is no head of a divine family; however some testimonies lend him a companion, sometimes female and a son and/or a daughter. They belong to the family of the nymphs or genies of springs.

Janus intervenes in the miracle of the hot spring during the battle between Romulus and Tatius: Juturna and the nymphs of the springs are clearly related to Janus as well as Venus, that in the Ovid's Metamorphoses cooperates in the miracle and that may have been confused with Venilia, or perhaps the two were originally one. Janus has a direct link only to Venilia with whom he fathered Canens. The magic role of the wild olive tree (oleaster) is prominent in the description of the duel between Aeneas and Turnus reflecting its religious significance and powers: it was sacred to sailors, also to those who had shipwrecked as a protecting guide to the shore. It was probably venerated by a Prelatin culture in association with Faunus. In the story of Venulus coming back from Apulia too we see the religious connotation of the wild olive: the king discovers one into which a local shepherd had been had been turned for failing to respect some nymphs he had come across in a nearby cavern, apparently Venilia, as she was the deity associated with the magic virtues of such tree.

Gag� finds it remarkable that the characters related to Janus are in the Aeneis on the side of the Rutuli. In the Aeneis Janus would be represented by Tiberinus. Olistene, the daughter of Janus with Camese, may reflect in her name that of the olive or oleaster, or of Oreithyia.Camese may be reflected in Carmenta: Evander's mother is from Arcadia, comes to Latium as an exile migrant and has her two festivals in January: Camese's name does not look Latin. 5. Sociological remarks a) The vagueness of Janus's association with the cults of primitive Latium and his indifference towards social composition of the Roman State suggest the inference that he was a god of an earlier amphibious merchant society in which the role of the guardian was indispensable. b) Janus bifrons and the Penates. Even though the cult of Janus cannot be confused with that of the Penates, related with Dardanian migrants from Troy, the binary nature of the Penates and of Janus postulates a correspondent ethnic or social organisation.

Here the model is thought to be provided by the cult of the Magni Dei or Cabeiri preserved at Samothrace and worshipped particularly among sailing merchants. The aetiological myth is noteworthy too: at the beginning one finds Dardanos and his brother Iasios appearing as auxiliary figures in a Phrygian cult to a Great Mother. In Italy there is a trace of a conflict between worshippers of the Argive Hera (Diomedes and the Diomedians of the south) and of the Penates. The cult of Janus looks to be related to social groups remained at the fringe of the Phrygian ones. They might or might not have been related to the cult of the Dioscuri. c) The ianitrices in Roman law. The term is attested by Modestinus in the Digesta 38, 10, 4, 6 and glossed by Isidorus Origines 9, 7, 17. It denotes the spouses of the brothers of one's husband: it is attested only in the imperial period and in the juridical language. It has a symmetric correspondent in levir brother of one's husband.

It is possible to suppose that the word ianitrix may at its origin have issued from the cult of Janus, which could have given special functions to women married to the two indivisible companions while later it got fixed to a special sense of relations. This topic bears on the matrimonial practices of early Roman society which show traces of a regimen different from the classic one, i. e. monogamic with exogamy. Janus and Juno The relationship between Janus and Juno is defined by the closeness of the notions of beginning and transition and the functions of conception and delivery, result of youth and vital force. The reader is referred to the above sections Cultual epithets and Tigillum Sororium of this article and the corresponding section of article Juno. Janus and Quirinus Quirinus is a god that incarnates the quirites, i.e. the Romans in their civil capacity of producers and fathers. He is surnamed Mars tranquillus peaceful Mars, Mars qui praeest paci Mars who presides on peace.

His function of custos guardian is highlighted by the location of his temple inside the pomerium but not far from the gate of Porta Collina or Quirinalis, near the shrines of Sancus and Salus. As a protector of peace he is nevertheless armed, in the same way as the quirites are, as they are potentially milites soldiers: his staue represents him is holding a spear. For this reason Janus, god of gates, is concerned with his function of protector of the civil community. For the same reason the flamen Portunalis oiled the arms of Quirinus, implying that they were to be kept in good order and ready even though they were not to be used immediately. Dumezil and Schilling remark that as a god of the third function Quirinus is peaceful and represents the ideal of the pax romana i. e. a peace resting on victory. Janus and Portunus Portunus may be defined as a sort of duplication inside the scope of the powers and attributes of Janus. His original definition shows he was the god of gates and doors and of harbours.

In fact it is debated whether his original function was only that of god of gates and the function of god of harbours was a later addition: Paul the Deacon writes: "... he is depicted holding a key in his hand and was thought to be the god of gates". Varro would have stated that he was the god of harbours and patron of gates. His festival day named Portunalia fell on August 17, and he was venerated on that day in a temple ad pontem Aemilium and ad pontem Sublicium that had been dedicated on that date.[229] Portunus, unlike Janus, had his own flamen, named Portunalis. It is noteworthy that the temple of Janus in the Forum Holitorium had been consecrated on the day of the Portunalia and that the flamen Portunalis was in charge of oiling the arms of the statue of Quirinus. Janus and Vesta The relationship between Janus and Vesta touches on the question of the nature and function of the gods of beginning and ending in Indo-European religion.

While Janus has the first place Vesta has the last, both in theology and in ritual (Ianus primus, Vesta extrema). The last place implies a direct connexion with the situation of the worshipper, in space and in time. Vesta is thence the goddess of the hearth of homes as well as of the city. Her inextinguishable fire is a means for men (as individuals and as a community) to keep in touch with the realm of gods. Thus there is a reciprocal link between the god of beginnings and unending motion, who bestows life to the beings of this world (Cerus Manus) as well as presiding over its end, and the goddess of the hearth of man, which symbolises through fire the presence of life. Vesta is a virgin goddess but at the same time she is considered the mother of Rome: she is thought to be indispensable to the existence and survival of the community. Association with non-Roman gods The god with two faces appeared repeatedly in Babylonian art. Reproductions of the image of such a god, named Usmu, on cylinders in Sumero-Accadic art.

On plate XXI, c, Usmu is seen while introducing worshippers to a seated god. Janus-like heads of gods related to Hermes have been found in Greece, perhaps suggesting a compound god. Janus and the Ouroboros Happy New Year’s 2016: Who Is Janus, The Roman God After Whom January Is Named? [Videos, Photos] Happy New Year’s 2016: Who Is Janus, The Roman God After Whom January Is Named? [Videos, Photos] 0 January 1, 2016 Happy New Year’s 2016: Who Is Janus, The Roman God After Whom January Is Named? [Videos, Photos] Charisse Van Horn Happy New Year 2016! The old has passed, and a new year has begun. It is January 1, and that brings us to a closer reflection on the Roman god after whom January is named: Janus. While we embrace the new year and its atmosphere of change, revival, and renewal, let’s take a moment for a historical look at the Roman god to whom this month was dedicated.

It might not be surprising that the month January is associated with new beginnings, changes, and transitions, as this is what Janus stood for. As January is the first month of the new year, it is a time for a change in seasons as well as reflection on both the new and the old. The Roman god Janus is depicted as having two faces. These faces are symbolic of the New Year and may even be represented by other symbols commonly found with New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day: Father Time and Baby New Year. Janus has two faces – one that looks to the past and the other looks towards the future. These themes permeate New Year’s celebrations and traditions and are key to those who want a happy New Year’s in 2016. January is named after the Roman god Janus. He had two faces to see the future and the past!

pic.twitter.com/0fQCjlR0U5 — Dr Caitlin Green (@caitlinrgreen) January 1, 2016 While it might appear that Janus is a god of ancient times, he is not only worshipped by some, but many Christians challenge his deity to the point they feel January is contaminated or the traditions are in violation of Judeo-Christian principles. According to the Encyclopedia Mythica, the Romans worshipped Janus at important times. “Janus is the Roman god of gates and doors (ianua), beginnings and endings, and hence represented with a double-faced head, each looking in opposite directions. He was worshipped at the beginning of the harvest time, planting, marriage, birth, and other types of beginnings, especially the beginnings of important events in a person’s life. Janus also represents the transition between primitive life and civilization, between the countryside and the city, peace and war, and the growing-up of young people” In the first video below, you will find historical teachings on Janus, followed by a prayer to the Roman god.

The second video is a teaching done by a Christian evangelist who warns against the dangers of Janus or taking part in New Year’s traditions that have their root in Janus worship. This teaching expressly states that enjoying New Year’s festivities is idolatry to God. “When you honor New Years you’re honoring the god, Janus. That’s idolatry!” – Deacon Eythan???????????????? — Sophie Hay (@pompei79) December 31, 2015 It is clear that while many participate in New Year’s Eve and its traditions while looking on the past as a time of self-reflection and towards the future in hope of change, there are others who view New Year’s through a religious lens. Some embracing the pagan roots of January and the New Year’s traditions while others readily reject them as idolatry and blasphemy towards the Christian/Judeo god. One Christian, Jesse Birkey, who describes himself as prophetic gave a prophecy for 2016 describing what he called “ Janus Christians ” or two-faced Christians.

Janus Christians – A Word For 2016 pic.twitter.com/xSIRorVRnC — Jesse Birkey (@JesseBirkey) December 22, 2015 It’s important to note that Janus was probably the most important god in ancient Rome. This is determined by the fact his temple was located on an important street that connected or led people to the Roman Forum. His face was on many coins, and according to Livius, the name Janus is often listed first in Roman lists of gods . “The temple of Janus in Rome was situated in a street named Argiletum, an important road that connected the Roman Forum and the residential areas in the northeast. It was a small, wooden temple, and the building material suggests that the cult of Janus was of a venerable old age. This is confirmed by several facts. The oldest lists of gods usually began with his name; he was surnamed divom deus, a very ancient form of Latin meaning “the god’s god”; and his portrait can be found on the oldest Roman coins. Janus was, therefore, a very old and important Roman god.

Before every sacrifice, he was invoked and received a libation.” What are your views? Do you believe New Year’s is a time for fun, or should people be wary that they are inadvertently offering worship to Janus? What are your thoughts on how to have a Happy New Year in 2016? [Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images] Janus (Roman Deity) - Credo Reference Cite Image Janus was an important Roman god who protected doorways and gateways. He had two faces, one looking forward, the other backward, just as a door faces two ways. He was also the god of beginnings and endings: January, the first month of the modern calendar year, was named for him. Janus was one of the oldest of the ancient Italian gods. He was the guardian of all entrances, thresholds, beginnings, and endings. For most Romans, Janus's crucial role was to keep evil from crossing the threshold of the home. As the divine gatekeeper, he was depicted holding a porter's staff in one hand and a set of keys in the other.

According to Roman poet Ovid (43 BCE–17 CE), these were the keys to the gates of heaven, which Janus opened whenever Jupiter wanted to pass through them himself or allow others to do so. It was also Janus's responsibility to close them afterward. The first hour of every day belonged to Janus, as did the first day of every month, and the first month of every year. Without Janus's blessing, new undertakings were doomed—thus, when Romans prayed, Janus was usually invoked first, even before Jupiter, the ruler of the gods. The Two-Faced Dog of Greek Mythology The two-faced Roman god Janus had no true equivalent in Greek mythology. The closest likeness to him was Orthus or Orthrus, the two-headed hound that guarded the beautiful red cattle belonging to Geryon, the mighty three-bodied, three-headed, six-handed grandson of Medusa. For many years, Geryon lived peacefully on the remote island of Erytheia with his watchdog, his herds, and a herdsman. Then, Heracles came to steal the cattle as one of his labors.

Orthus tried to stop the hero, rushing toward him and barking fiercely, but Heracles killed him with a single blow of his club. After slaying the herdsman and then Geryon, Heracles rounded up the cattle and took them in tribute to his cousin Eurystheus, king of Argos. As Geryon's blood spilled out, a tree sprang up that would later bear red, cherry-like fruits when the constellation of the Pleiades rose in the night sky. Orthus was the brother of two of Heracles' other adversaries—Cerberus, the canine guardian of the underworld, and the many-headed serpent the Hydra—and he was the father of a third, the Nemean lion. Some sources say the dog's other offspring was the Theban Sphinx, a monster with a woman's head, a lion's body, and the wings of a bird. The Sphinx waylaid travelers and asked them a famous riddle—"What has four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening?" She killed those who failed to answer it correctly.

The riddle was finally solved by Oedipus, who gave the answer, "Man." Like his master, Orthus also became connected with the heavens—with Sirius, the Dog Star. The first rising of Sirius occurs in July, after it has been obscured by the sun. The event marked the start of the New Year in Athens. Like Janus, Orthus was depicted with one head looking backward at the old year and one looking ahead to the new year. However, Orthus and the summer New Year never had the same significance in Greece as Janus had in Rome. Guardian of the threshold However, Janus's month was not the first month of the year until the Julian calendar was introduced in 45 BCE, and the start of the Roman year was moved from March to January. After this, Janus's role was extended to protect the threshold of the New Year. In his honor, people celebrated the first of January with gift-giving—coins with the faces of Janus were especially popular. For many centuries Janus had been portrayed with two faces as a sign of his watchfulness over a house's doorway.

Now, with the calendar change, his two faces took on a new significance: one face looked back at the year just ended, the other looked forward to the year ahead. No other Roman deity had a double aspect of this nature. Some early statues of Janus from the second century BCE depict him with four faces, but later representations show him with just two, one bearded and the other clean-shaven, possibly symbolizing age and youth. Later still, he is most often shown with two bearded faces. In Book Seven of the Aeneid, the poet Virgil (70–19 BCE) describes a statue of Janus Bifrons ("with two faces") in the palace hall of Latinus, a mythical king of Latium. This 18th-century copperplate engraving shows several of the classic ways in which the two-faced Roman god, Janus, appeared. The porter's staff and key that he is holding point to his role as keeper of the gate of heaven. Mortal beginnings According to one legend, Janus was born a mortal in Thessaly (part of modern Greece, northwest of Athens), the son of the god Apollo.

Exiled from his native country, he fled to Latium, a region of central Italy extending from the Apennines to the Tyrrhenian Sea, and the capital of which was Rome. There he was welcomed by the ruler, Camesus, who shared the kingdom with him. Another version of the story names the ruler of Latium as a woman, Camese, whom Janus married, becoming coruler. Janus had several children with Camese, including a son, Tiberinus, who drowned in the river that flows through Rome, which was subsequently named the Tiber in his memory. After the death of Camesus, or Camese, Janus ruled Latium alone. One legend says that he built a city on the highest hill in Rome and named it Janiculum after himself. Other myths claim that he received the exiled Saturn into his kingdom. Saturn was the Roman god of agriculture and the father of Jupiter, Juno, Ceres, Pluto, and Neptune. He later became identified with the Greek Titan Cronus, whom some accounts linked to plentiful harvests.

When Saturn was banished from Mount Olympus, the home of the gods, by his son Jupiter, he took refuge in Latium, where the hospitable Janus shared his throne with him. Saturn established the village of Saturnia on the Capitoline Hill, across the Tiber from Janus's settlement, and introduced agriculture and wine making to the district. Together Janus and Saturn created a Golden Age, ruling over a race of blissful humans who never showed signs of aging. Saturn gave Rome one of its major festivals—the midwinter Saturnalia, a time of abundant food, wine, and boisterous behavior. In this manifestation, Saturn was a god of joy and plenty. He had another, less pleasant, aspect, however: the Saturn of astrology was the grim ruler of the sign of Capricorn, which begins at the winter solstice and runs through the first half of Janus's month of January. This Saturn was a dour lord of time and a stern, inflexible taskmaster. Savior of Rome Janus is credited with having intervened personally to save Rome from its enemies.

After Romulus—the legendary eighth-century-BCE founder of Rome—kidnapped the women of the Sabine tribe to the north of the city, the Sabine men gained entry to the Capitol with the aid of an insider and were poised to attack the Romans. Suddenly Janus caused hot springs to erupt in mighty torrents, scalding the Sabines and scattering them in all directions. From then on, the door of Janus's shrine was always kept open in wartime so that he could personally help defend the Romans. Some sources name Janus's wife as Juturna (or Diuturna in earlier versions). She was a healer goddess of springs—her own sacred well was near Janus's shrine in the Roman Forum, the city's religious and commercial center. Janus and Juturna had a son, Fontus or Fons, who was a god of springs like his mother. According to Ovid, Janus also fathered the beautiful nymph Canens, whose singing voice was so lovely that it could soothe savage beasts and move rocks and trees. She married the handsome Picus, a son of Saturn.

While hunting one day in the forest, Picus was seen by the enchantress Circe, who fell in love with him. When Picus spurned her attentions, she turned him into a purple woodpecker. After searching in vain for Picus for six days and nights, Canens lay down beside the Tiber River, where she wasted away and died of grief. In another Ovid story, Janus pursued and outwitted Carna, a capricious nymph who delighted in teasing her suitors by directing them to wait for her in a shady cave, where she promised to join them shortly. She would then go and hide in the forest, leaving them in the lurch. However, Janus saw Carna taking refuge behind a rock with the eyes in his backward-looking face. He caught her, and in recognition of his victory over her she slept with him. In gratitude, Janus made Carna the protectress of door hinges, giving her the power to keep out evil spirits. Origins of Janus's name Some legends state that Janus's wife was Jana—her name is a variant form of Diana (or Dione), just as Janus may be a corruption of Dianus.

Janus and Jana, or Dianus and Diana, may have been the sun and moon deities of central Italy's earliest inhabitants. When Rome came to dominate all of Italy, and the customs of its Latin-speaking people spread throughout the peninsula, the worship of Jupiter and Juno started to eclipse that of some of the old, established deities. Opinion varies about the origins of Janus's name. The Latin word ianua means "door," but modern scholars are divided about whether Janus took his name from "door" or ianua took its name from the god. According to American mythologist Joseph Campbell (1904–1987), the Romans believed that a divine presence (numen, plural numina) existed everywhere, with its most important manifestations being those connected to the home. So, for example, the divine presence of fire was personified as the goddess of the hearth Vesta and that of the door was personified as Janus. From this perspective, Janus would have taken his name from the door.

The opposite view was expressed by Scottish anthropologist James Frazer (1854–1941), the author of The Golden Bough, who pointed out that the same root for door appears in many Indo-European languages—for example, dur (Sanskrit), thura (Greek), Tür (German), door (English), dorus (Old Irish), and foris (Latin). But ianua is unique, with no similarities elsewhere in the Indo-European world. From this observation, Frazer concluded that ianua must be a derivation from the name of Janus. Worship of Janus Romans worshiped Janus in temples and in the home, and during an annual festival. The god's main center of worship was the temple of Janus Geminus, situated on the north side of the Forum. It was a small rectangular building of bronze, with two side walls and two great double gates at either end. A bronze statue of Janus stood in the middle of the temple, which had no roof. In wealthy private households daily offerings were made to the god. These normally consisted of wine and a sacred cake, known as the strues.

Prayers were offered for the safety of the household and family, and from time to time a young pig would be sacrificed. From the earliest times an annual festival known as the Agonium was held on January 9 in Rome in honor of Janus. The ceremonies were conducted by the god's high priest, who was known as the rex sacrorum ("king of rites"); the votaries (attendants) wore new robes for the occasion. After aromatic plants and incense had been ritually burned on the altar, a young ram would be sacrificed to the deity. The public faces of Janus Janus had a crucial part to play in Roman civic matters. He protected bridges, shipping, and trade; he was credited with the introduction of agriculture, civil law, and worship. He was also strongly linked to currency—Rome's oldest bronze coins bore an image of Janus on one side and a ship's prow on the other. In the Forum, the massive gates of the Janus Geminus were oriented on an east-west axis, the path of the sun across the sky. Through these gates the Roman legions marched off to battle. In times of peace, the doors would be closed to safeguard the power of the shrine.

In times of war, they would be opened in a state ritual that marked the outward flow of military power. Some sources have suggested that returning victorious Roman armies also marched through the gates of the Janus Geminus, and that this gave rise to the idea of a triumphal arch. Certainly Janus's influence extended to all gateways and arches, and his likeness appeared on many archways throughout Rome. Gardner, Jane F. Roman Myths. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 1993. Virgil, and Robert Fagles, trans. The Aeneid. New York: Penguin, 2009. Citation 1000+ images about Janus on Pinterest | Roman, The romans and Coins Forward Janus: In ancient Roman religion and mythology, Janus (Latin: Ianus) is the god of beginnings and transitions, thence also of gates, doors, doorways, endings and time. He is usually a two-faced god since he looks to the future and the past. The month of January was named in honor of Janus.

Photo of the bust of the Roman god, Vatican museum See More Janus | Roman god | Britannica.com Roman god Janus, in Roman religion , the animistic spirit of doorways (januae) and archways (jani). Janus and the nymph Camasene were the parents of Tiberinus, whose death in or by the river Albula caused it to be renamed Tiber. The god Janus, beardless, Roman coin; in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris Larousse The worship of Janus traditionally dated back to Romulus and a period even before the actual founding of the city of Rome. There were many jani (i.e., ceremonial gateways) in Rome; these were usually freestanding structures that were used for symbolically auspicious entrances or exits. Particular superstition was attached to the departure of a Roman army, for which there were lucky and unlucky ways to march through a janus. The most famous janus in Rome was the Janus Geminus, which was actually a shrine of Janus at the north side of the Forum. It was a simple rectangular bronze structure with double doors at each end.

Traditionally, the doors of this shrine were left open in time of war and were kept closed when Rome was at peace. According to the Roman historian Livy , the gates were closed only twice in all the long period between Numa Pompilius (7th century bc) and Augustus (1st century bc). Some scholars regard Janus as the god of all beginnings and believe that his association with doorways is derivative. He was invoked as the first of any gods in regular liturgies. The beginning of the day, month, and year, both calendrical and agricultural, were sacred to him. The month of January is named for him, and his festival took place on January 9, the Agonium. There were several important temples erected to Janus, and it is assumed that there was also an early cult on the Janiculum, which the ancients took to mean “the city of Janus.” Janus was represented by a double-faced head, and he was represented in art either with or without a beard. Occasionally he was depicted as four-faced—as the spirit of the four-way arch. Learn More in these related articles:

Question: Who is the Roman god of gates, doors and beginnings, represented with a two-faced head?
Answer: Janus