JANUS
by Spaciva Ivanova
Numa in his regulation of the Roman calendar called the first month Januarius after Janus, arguably the oldest and most important divinity in the Roman pantheon Janus is one of the few Roman gods who has no ready-made counterpart, or analogous mythology. As the first month of the year marks both an end and a new beginning, Janus ( or Ianus ) looks both to the past and the future. This ability was a gift bestowed upon him by Saturn, in return for hospitality received.
Janus is the god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings and endings. He is most often depicted as having two faces or heads, facing in opposite directions.
Janus is also the god of concrete.
Similar to the way Hades controls the underworld and Neptune watches over the seas, Janus, the sun god rules the skies together with Jana (Diana), the goddess of the moon and the two receive their sacrifices before all others.
The main Temple of Janus stood in the Roman Forum. The temple had doors on both ends, and inside the temple was a statue of Janus, the two-faced god of boundaries. The temple doors were closed in times of peace and opened in times of war. The closing of the temple was a very rare event. It is said to have happened for the first time under Numa Pompilius, for the second time under Titus Manlius in 235 BC, a third time by Augustus in 29 BC, a fourth time by Nero in 66 AD and only a fifth time under Vespasian in AD 70.
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by Spaciva Ivanova
Numa in his regulation of the Roman calendar called the first month Januarius after Janus, arguably the oldest and most important divinity in the Roman pantheon Janus is one of the few Roman gods who has no ready-made counterpart, or analogous mythology. As the first month of the year marks both an end and a new beginning, Janus ( or Ianus ) looks both to the past and the future. This ability was a gift bestowed upon him by Saturn, in return for hospitality received.
Janus is the god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings and endings. He is most often depicted as having two faces or heads, facing in opposite directions.
Janus is also the god of concrete.
Similar to the way Hades controls the underworld and Neptune watches over the seas, Janus, the sun god rules the skies together with Jana (Diana), the goddess of the moon and the two receive their sacrifices before all others.
The main Temple of Janus stood in the Roman Forum. The temple had doors on both ends, and inside the temple was a statue of Janus, the two-faced god of boundaries. The temple doors were closed in times of peace and opened in times of war. The closing of the temple was a very rare event. It is said to have happened for the first time under Numa Pompilius, for the second time under Titus Manlius in 235 BC, a third time by Augustus in 29 BC, a fourth time by Nero in 66 AD and only a fifth time under Vespasian in AD 70.
