Janus

By Crusader1307

 Perhaps one of the most oldest of Roman Deities, ''Janus'' was seen during The Roman Kingdom Period, as ''God of Beginnings and Endings''. He was also associated with Entrances and Exits (starting and finishing). This duality was reflected in how Janus was shown in Art. Traditionally, Human Janus has ''Two Faces''. He was invoked the same time as The God Jupiter was (although they were two completely different Cults). All ceremonies and rituals required some offering to Janus prior to the ''pomp'' associated with worshiping other Deities.

One of the first Temples dedicated to Janus was erected in the 2nd Century BC, near Rome's Forum. An immense statue of Janus was erected in His honor. In Janus' Right hand was the Numeral ''300'' and in His other ''65''. This is reference to the tradition numbering of The Calendar. Also, twelve Stars are shown to reference each Month of The Year. The Month of January was consecrated to Janus, which was seen as the beginning of The Year. Often, when referring to Janus, Romans used the term ''Pater'' (Latin for ''Father'').