Janus

Janus is a god in ancient Roman religion and myth, revered as the deity of beginnings, transitions, doors, gates, and openings. He is commonly depicted with two faces looking in opposite directions, one toward the past and one toward the future, symbolizing his role at thresholds and in moments of change.

The name Janus comes from the Latin Ianus and is the source of the month January, which signifies the start of the year. In Roman ritual, Janus was invoked at the outset of undertakings, treaties, prayers, and journeys, reinforcing his association with beginnings and transitions between states or places.

Iconography usually presents Janus as a two-faced figure, sometimes bearded, sometimes not, often shown holding a staff or key, and sometimes standing at a doorway. A prominent example of his cultural role is the Temple of Janus in the Roman Forum, whose doors were kept open in times of war and closed during peacetime, reflecting the god’s linkage to the state of affairs.

Beyond ritual contexts, the image of Janus has influenced literature and rhetoric as a symbol of duality and change. The expression Janus-faced is commonly used to describe things with two contrasting or paradoxical aspects, while the broader metaphor of Janus appears in discussions of beginnings, thresholds, and the passage of time.

Scholars view Janus as a central figure in Roman religion, illustrating how the Romans personified boundaries and transitions within their calendar, politics, and daily life, using a deity whose two faces could acknowledge past and future simultaneously.