and JANA, a pair of ancient Latin divinities, who were worshipped as the sun and moon,
whence they were regarded as the highest of the gods, and received their sacrifices before all
the others. (de Nat. Deor.
2.27.) The name Janus is only another form of Dianus, and Jana of Diana; but the ancients
connected it also with janua (door), for it was also applied to a covered passage with two
entrances, as the Janus medius in the forum. (Heindorf, ad Horat. Sat.
2.3. 18.) The fact of Jana being identical in import with Luna and Diana is attested beyond a
doubt by Varro (de Re Rust. 1.37). We stated above that Janus was
regarded as identical with Sol, but this does not appear to have been the case originally, for
it is related that the worship of Janus was introduced at Rome by Romulus, whereas that of Sol
was instituted by Titus Tatius (August. de Civ. Dei, 4.23), and the
priority of the worship of Janus is also implied in the story related by Macrobius (Sat. 1.9). Hence we must infer that the two divinities were identified at a
later period, and that in such a manner that the separate idea of Sol was lost in that of
Janus, for we find few traces of the worship of Sol, while that of Janus acquired the highest
importance in the religion of the Romans. Numa in his regulation of the Roman year called the
first month Januarius, de Ling. Lat. 5.164.) This passage (commonly, but
erroneously, called a temple), with two entrances, was usually called Janus
Geminus, Janus Bifrons, Janus Quirinus or Portae Belli (ad infimum Argiletum, close by the forum.
Atemple of Janus was built by C.Duilius in the time of the first Punic war: it was restored by
Augustus, and dedicated by Tiberius. (Hist. of Rome, vol. i. p. 292, 3d edit.) explains the objects of the
earliest Janus (and those of the others in a similar manner) as follows: " When the two cities
(that of the Romans on the Palatine, and that of the Sabines on the Quirinal) were united on
terms of equality, they built the double Janus, on the road leading from the Quirinal to the
Palatium, with a door facing each of the cities, as the gate of the double barrier which
separated their liberties. It was open in time of war, that succour might pass from one to the
other, and shut during peace; whether for the purpose of preventing an unrestricted
intercourse, out of which quarrels might arise, or as a token that, though united, they were
distinct." But if this had been the case, the two gates would necessarily have faced the north
and south, whereas, according to the express testimony of Procopius (Bell.
Goth. 1.25), the two gates, as well as the two-faced statue of Janus, which stood in the
passage, faced the east and west. It is therefore more probable that the Janus Geminus
originally was not an ordinary gate of the city, but, like the later porta triumphalis, used
only on certain occasions, viz. armies marching out against an enemy and returning from their
campaign, passed through it: hence it was open in war, indicating symbolically that the god
too had gone out to assist the Roman warriors, and shut in time of peace that the god, the
safeguard of the city, might not escape. (De Mens. 4.1.) Whether the Etruscan divinity with two
or four faces was originally the same as the Roman Janus is uncertain, but it was at any rate
very natural for the Romans to see in him their own Janus, and to identify the two. The
identity of Janus with the Sun was commonly expressed by his indicating with the fingers of
the right hand the 55 (de Mens. 1.4.) In some representations he held in his right hand a staff or sceptre,
and in his left a key (l.c.), by which he is symbolically described as the god who had power over
the entrance of heaven (Patulcus or Patulcius, and Clusius or Clusiviuns. (ad Men. 7.610; Macrob. l
c.; L. Lydus, de Mens. 4.1.) Although in the classical age the
Romans them-selves avowed that Janus was peculiar to them-selves (l.c.) We pass over a series of arbitrary
etymological and philosophical speculations (see Varro, apud August. de Civ.
Dei, 7.9; Festus, s. v. Chaos), and merely remark, that no nation
of antiquity attributed such importance to the beginning of a work or undertaking as the
Romans, who believed that the progress and success of a thing had some magic connection with
its beginning. (Gellius, a conserendo, or consationibus,
ad Nat. 2.11). Hence,
whenever a civil or military undertaking did not succeed, it was attributed to some fault in
the manner of beginning it, and was frequently commenced afresh. (l.c.; de Mens. 4.2; Aur. Vict. de Orig. Gent. Rom.
3), is perfectly in accordance with the idea of the god, he being the beginning of every
thing; but it does not follow that on this account he was considered superior or more powerful
than all the other gods. As he presided over the beginning of the year, the people offered
sacrifices to him on the first day of the year, and priests offered sacrifices to him on
twelve altars, as the beginner of the twelve months, and prayed to him at the commencement of
every day. (Varro, apud Macrob. l.c.; P. Vict. Reg.
Urb. xiv.) As the kalends of every month were sacred to Juno, Janus was surnamed
Junonius, and in reference to his presiding over the beginning of every day, he was called
Matutinus pater. On new year's day, which was the principal festival of the god, people took
care that all they thought, said, and did, was pure and favourable, since every thing was
ominous for the occurrences of the whole year. Hence the people wore festive garments,
abstained from cursing, quarrelling; they saluted every one they met with words of a
favourable import, gave presents to one another, and performed some part of what they intended
to do in the course of the year, auspicandi causa. (Columella, de Re Rust. 11.2; Senec. Epist. 83; Quaest. Rom. p.
274; de Menes. 4.2.) The
general name for these presents was strenae. The sacrifices offered to Janus consisted of cakes (called janual), barley, incense, and wine. (s. v. janual; L. Lydus, de Mens. 4.2; Buttmann, Ueber den Janus, in his