"Temple of Janus (Roman Forum) In ancient Rome, the main Temple of Janus as it is often called, although it was not a normal temple, stood in the Roman Forum near the Argiletum. It had doors on both ends, and inside was a statue of Janus, the two-faced god of boundaries. The doors (the ""Gates of Janus"") were closed in times of peace and opened in times of war. According to Livy 1.19 the second king of Rome, Numa Pompilius, decided to distract the early, warlike Romans from their violent ways by instilling in them awe and reverence. His projects"
"New Year's Day New Year's Day, also called simply New Year's or New Year, is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar. In pre-Christian Rome under the Julian calendar, the day was dedicated to Janus, god of gateways and beginnings, for whom January is also named. As a date in the Gregorian calendar of Christendom, New Year's Day liturgically marked the Feast of the Naming and Circumcision of Jesus, which is still observed as such in the Anglican Church and Lutheran Church. In present day, with"
"beginnings and passages is reflected mainly in their association with the kalendae of every month, which belong to both, and in the festival of the Tigillum Sororium of October 1. Janus as gatekeeper of the gates connecting Heaven and Earth and guardian of all passages is particularly related to time and motion. He holds the first place in ritual invocations and prayers, in order to ensure the communication between the worshipper and the gods. He enjoys the privilege of receiving the first sacrifice of the new year, which is offered by the ""rex"" on the day of the Agonium of"
"cantatas for the double occasion: New Year's Day New Year's Day, also called simply New Year's or New Year, is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar. In pre-Christian Rome under the Julian calendar, the day was dedicated to Janus, god of gateways and beginnings, for whom January is also named. As a date in the Gregorian calendar of Christendom, New Year's Day liturgically marked the Feast of the Naming and Circumcision of Jesus, which is still observed as such in the Anglican Church and Lutheran"
"with two heads looking at opposite directions. Numa in his regulation of the Roman calendar called the first month ""Januarius"" after Janus, according to tradition considered the highest divinity at the time. 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"
"oppositions, tensions and equilibria: January is the month of Janus, at the beginning of the year, in the uncertain time of winter (the most ancient calendar had only ten months, from March to December). In this month Janus deifies kingship and defies Jupiter. Moreover January sees also the presence of Veiovis who appears as an anti-Jupiter, of Carmenta who is the goddess of birth and like Janus has two opposed faces, ""Prorsa"" and ""Postvorta"" (also named Antevorta and Porrima), of Iuturna, who as a gushing spring evokes the process of coming into being from non-being as the god of passage"
"Etruria. The connection of the notions of beginning (""principium""), movement, transition (""eundo""), and thence time was clearly expressed by Cicero. In general, Janus is at the origin of time as the guardian of the gates of Heaven: Jupiter himself can move 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 lunar year), later 365, symbolically expressing his mastership over time. He presides over the concrete and abstract beginnings of the world, such as religion"
"January as well as at the kalendae of each month: These rites show he is considered the patron of the cosmic year. Ovid in his ""Fasti"" has Janus say that he is the original Chaos and also the first era of the world, which got organised only afterwards. He preserves a tutelary function on this universe as the gatekeeper of Heaven. His nature, qualities and role are reflected in the myth of him being the first to reign in Latium, on the banks of the Tiber, and there receiving god Saturn, in the age when the Earth still could bear"
"December December is the twelfth and final month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and is the seventh and last of seven months to have a length of 31 days. December got its name from the Latin word ""decem"" (meaning ten) because it was originally the tenth month of the year in the Roman calendar, which began in March. The winter days following December were not included as part of any month. Later, the months of January and February were created out of the monthless period and added to the beginning of the calendar, but December retained"
"Decius Mus, Papirius had to face an enemy who had acted with impious rites and vows, i.e. was religiously reprehensible. More recently Dario Sabbatucci has given a different interpretation of the meaning of ""Stator"" within the frame of his structuralistic and dialectic vision of Roman calendar, identifying oppositions, tensions and equilibria: January is the month of Janus, at the beginning of the year, in the uncertain time of winter (the most ancient calendar had only ten months, from March to December). In this month Janus deifies kingship and defies Jupiter. Moreover, January sees also the presence of Veiovis who appears"
"Ianuarius Ianuarius, fully Mensis Ianuarius (Latin for the ""January Month"", i.e., ""The Month of Janus""), was the first month of the ancient Roman calendar, from which the Julian and Gregorian month of January derived. It was followed by ""Februarius"" (""February""). In the calendars of the Roman Republic, ""Ianuarius"" had 29 days. Two days were added when the calendar was reformed under Julius Caesar in 45 BCE. In the oldest Roman calendar, which the Romans believed to have been instituted by their legendary founder Romulus, the first month was ""Martius"" (""Mars' month"", March), and the calendar year had only ten months."
"Portunus (mythology) Portunus was the ancient Roman god of keys, doors, livestock and ports. He may have originally protected the warehouses where grain was stored, but later became associated with ports, perhaps because of folk associations between ""porta"" ""gate, door"" and ""portus"" ""harbor"", the ""gateway"" to the sea, or because of an expansion in the meaning of ""portus"". Portunus later became conflated with the Greek Palaemon. Portunus' festival, celebrated on August 17, the sixteenth day before the Kalends of September, was the Portunalia, a minor occasion in the Roman year. On this day, keys were thrown into a fire for"
"the Roman calendar, February is a month of universal purification, and begins the new year. In book II of his ""Fasti"", Ovid derives the month's name from ""februae"" (expiations); lustrations designed to remove spiritual contamination or ritual pollution accumulated in the previous year. On the 1st of the month, a black ox was sacrificed to Helernus, a minor underworld deity whom Dumézil takes as a god of vegetation related to the cult of Carna/Crane, a nymph who may be an image of Juno Sospita. On the same day, Juno's ""dies natalis"" (""birthday"") as Juno Sospita was celebrated at her Palatine"
"beginning with March. That the new year once began with the month of March is still reflected in some of the names of the months. September through December, our ninth through twelfth months, were originally positioned as the seventh through tenth months. (""Septem"" is Latin for ""seven""; ""octo"", ""eight""; ""novem"", ""nine""; and ""decem"", ""ten"".) Roman legend usually credited their second king Numa with the establishment of the months of January and February. These were first placed at the end of the year, but at some point came to be considered the first two months instead. The January Kalends () came"
"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. 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 the month. Traditionally, the original Roman calendar consisted of 10 months totaling 304 days, winter being considered a month-less period. Around 713 BC, the semi-mythical successor of Romulus, King Numa Pompilius, is supposed to have added the months of January and February, so that the calendar covered a standard lunar year (354 days). Although March was originally the first month in the old Roman calendar, January became the first month of the calendar year either under Numa or under the Decemvirs about 450 BC (Roman writers differ). In contrast, each specific calendar year was identified by the names of"
"all beginnings and hers are the kalendae of every month: at Laurentum she was known as ""Kalendaris Iuno"" (Juno of the Kalends). At Rome on the Kalends of every month the ""pontifex minor"" invoked her, under the epithet ""Covella"", when from the ""curia Calabra"" announced the date of the ""nonae"". On the same day the ""regina sacrorum"" sacrificed to Juno a white sow or lamb in the Regia. She is closely associated with Janus, the god of passages and beginnings who after her is often named ""Iunonius"". Some scholars view this concentration of multiple functions as a typical and structural"
"is often called, but an open enclosure with gates at each end) were opened in time of war, and closed to mark the arrival of peace (which did not happen very often). As a god of transitions, he had functions pertaining to birth and to journeys and exchange, and in his association with Portunus, a similar harbor and gateway god, he was concerned with travelling, trading and shipping. Janus had no flamen or specialised priest ""(sacerdos)"" assigned to him, but the King of the Sacred Rites ""(rex sacrorum)"" himself carried out his ceremonies. Janus had an ubiquitous presence in religious"
"Via Sacra to the Capitolium for sacrifice to Jupiter. The list also includes other notable public religious events such as sacrifices and processions that were observed annually but are neither ""feriae"" nor ""dies natales."" Unless otherwise noted, the calendar is that of H.H. Scullard, ""Festivals and Ceremonies of the Roman Republic"". In the archaic Roman calendar, February was the last month of the year. The name derives from ""februa"", ""the means of purification, expiatory offerings."" It marked a turn of season, with February 5 the official first day of spring bringing the renewal of agricultural activities after winter. In the"
"BC and installed by Domitian in the Forum Transitorium, although having a different meaning, seems to be connected to the same theological complex, as its image purports an ability to rule over every direction, element and time of the year. It did not give rise to a new epithet though. ""Patulcius"" and ""Clusivius"" or ""Clusius"" are epithets related to an inherent quality and function of doors, that of standing open or shut. Janus as the Gatekeeper has jurisdiction over every kind of door and passage and the power of opening or closing them. Servius interprets Patulcius in the same way."
"of expiation and the protector of runaway justice-seekers. Vejovis had three festivals in the Roman Calendar: on 1 January, 7 March, and 21 May. Vejovis Vejovis or Vejove ( or ""Vēdiovis""; rare ""Vēive"" or ""Vēdius"") was a Roman god. Romans believed that Vejovis was one of the first gods in this world. Vejovis was portrayed as a young man, holding a bunch of arrows, pilum, (or lightning bolts) in his hand, and accompanied by a goat. Romans believed that Vejovis was one of the first gods to be born. He was a god of healing, and became associated with the"
"January 11 and January 15. Carmenta In ancient Roman religion and myth, Carmenta was a goddess of childbirth and prophecy, associated with technological innovation as well as the protection of mothers and children, and a patron of midwives. She was also said to have invented the Latin alphabet. The name ""Carmenta"" is derived from Latin ""carmen"", meaning a magic spell, oracle or song, and also the root of the English word ""charm"". Her original name was Nicostrate, but it was changed later to honor her renown for giving oracles. She was the mother of Evander and along with other followers"
"being the seventh day after December 25. Historical names for January include its original Roman designation, Ianuarius, the Saxon term ""Wulf-monath"" (meaning ""wolf month"") and Charlemagne's designation Wintarmanoth (""winter / cold month""). In Slovene, it is traditionally called ""prosinec"". The name, associated with millet bread and the act of asking for something, was first written in 1466 in the Škofja Loka manuscript. According to Theodor Mommsen, 1 January became the first day of the year in 600 AUC of the Roman calendar (153 BC), due to disasters in the Lusitanian War. A Lusitanian chief called Punicus invaded the Roman territory,"
"February 24 For superstitious reasons, when the Romans began to intercalate to bring their calendar into line with the solar year, they chose not to place their extra month of Mercedonius ""after"" February but ""within"" it. February 24—known in the Roman calendar as ""the sixth day before the Kalends of March""—was replaced by the first day of this month since it followed Terminalia, the festival of the Roman god of boundaries. After the end of Mercedonius, the rest of the days of February were observed and the new year began with the first day of March. The overlaid religious festivals"
"or 7th, depending on the length of the month), the Ides (13th or 15th), and the Kalends (1st of the following month). The Ides occurred near the midpoint, on the 13th for most months, but on the 15th for March, May, July, and October. The Ides were supposed to be determined by the full moon, reflecting the lunar origin of the Roman calendar. On the earliest calendar, the Ides of March would have been the first full moon of the new year. The Ides of each month were sacred to Jupiter, the Romans' supreme deity. The Flamen Dialis, Jupiter's high"
"the god a sort of cosmological principle, interpreting him as a uranic deity. Almost all of these modern explanations were originally formulated by the ancients. His function as god of beginnings has been clearly expressed in numerous ancient sources, among them most notably Cicero, Ovid, and Varro. As a god of motion, Janus looks after passages, causes actions to start and presides over all beginnings. Since movement and change are interconnected, he has a double nature, symbolised in his two headed image. He has under his tutelage the stepping in and out of the door of homes, the ""ianua"", which"
"Cardea Cardea or Carda was the ancient Roman goddess of the hinge (Latin ""cardo, cardinis""), Roman doors being hung on pivot hinges. The Augustan poet Ovid conflates her with another archaic goddess named Carna, whose festival was celebrated on the Kalends of June and for whom he gives the alternative name Cranê or Cranea, a nymph. Ovid's conflation of the goddesses is likely to have been his poetic invention, but it has also been conjectured that ""Carna"" was a contracted form of ""Cardina"", and at minimum Ovid was observing that their traditions were congruent. In the Christian polemic of the"
"Terminus (god) In Roman religion, Terminus was the god who protected boundary markers; his name was the Latin word for such a marker. Sacrifices were performed to sanctify each boundary stone, and landowners celebrated a festival called the ""Terminalia"" in Terminus' honor each year on February 23. The Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on the Capitoline Hill was thought to have been built over a shrine to Terminus, and he was occasionally identified as an aspect of Jupiter under the name ""Jupiter Terminalis"". Ancient writers believed that the worship of Terminus had been introduced to Rome during the reign of"
"the Greek or Italic lotus (""Celtis Australis""), analogous to that of corniolum and wild fig, to sailing communities: its wood does not rot in sea water, thence it was used in shipbuilding and in the making of rolls for 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"
"expressions. The origin of this epithet might be either concrete, referring directly to the image of the god reproduced on coins and supposed to have been introduced by king Numa in the sanctuary at the lowest point of the Argiletum, or to a feature of the Ianus of the ""Porta Belli"", the double gate ritually opened at the beginning of wars, or abstract, deriving metaphorically from the liminal, intermediary functions of the god themselves: both in time and space passages connected two different spheres, realms or worlds. The ""Janus quadrifrons"" or ""quadriformis"", brought according to tradition from Falerii in 241"
"a poem about the Roman calendar. The first is that the month is named after the Roman goddess Juno, the goddess of marriage and the wife of the supreme deity Jupiter; the second is that the name comes from the Latin word ""iuniores"", meaning ""younger ones"", as opposed to ""maiores"" (""elders"") for which the preceding month May ""(Maius)"" may be named. Another source claims June is named after Lucius Junius Brutus, founder of the roman Republic and ancestor of the Roman gens Junia . In ancient Rome, the period from mid-May through mid-June was considered inauspicious for marriage. Ovid says"
"ceremonies throughout the year. As such, Janus was ritually invoked at the beginning of each ceremony, regardless of the main deity honored on any particular occasion. The ancient Greeks had no equivalent to Janus, whom the Romans claimed as distinctively their own. Three etymologies were proposed by ancient erudites, each of them bearing implications about the nature of the god. The first one is based on the definition of Chaos given by Paul the Deacon: ""hiantem"", ""hiare"", be open, from which word Ianus would derive by loss of the initial aspirate. In this etymology, the notion of Chaos would define"
"Empire began with the months Ianuarius (January), Februarius (February), and Martius (March). The common tradition to begin the year on 1 January was a convention established in ancient Rome. Throughout the medieval period, the year began on 25 March, the Catholic Solemnity of the Annunciation. Roman monk of the 5th-century, Dionysius Exiguus, devised the modern dating system of the Anno Domini (AD) era, which is based on the reckoned year of the birth of Jesus, with AD counting years from the start of this epoch, and BC denoting years before the start of the era. The modern seven-day week follows"