Editing Janus (section)

===Distant origin hypothesis===
The uniqueness of Janus in Latium has suggested to L. Adams Holland and J. Gagé the hypothesis of a cult brought from far away by sailors and strictly linked to the amphibious life of the primitive communities living on the banks of the Tiber. In the myth of Janus, the ship of Saturn, as well as the myth of [[Carmenta]] and [[Evander of Pallene|Evander]] are reminiscent of an ancient pre-Roman sailing life. The elements that seem to connect Janus to sailing are presented in two articles by J. Gagé summarised here below.<ref>J. Gagé, "Sur les origines du culte de Janus", ''Revue de l'histoire des religions'' 195/1 and 2, pp. 3–33 and 129–151. [https://www.persee.fr/doc/rhr_0035-1423_1979_num_195_1_6814]</ref>

====1. The boat of Janus and the beliefs of the primitive sailing techniques====

;(a) The proximity of Janus and Portunus and the functions of the ''flamen Portunalis'': The temple of Janus was dedicated by [[Gaius Duilius]] on 17 August, day of the [[Portunalia]]. The key was the symbol of both gods and was also meant to signify that the boarding boat was a peaceful merchant boat.

:The ''flamen Portunalis'' oiled the arms of [[Quirinus]] with an ointment kept in a peculiar container named ''persillum'', term perhaps derived from Etruscan ''persie''.<ref>E. Peruzzi, "Un etruschismo del latino religioso", ''Rivista di Filologia Italiana e Classica'' (1976), pp. 144–148.</ref> A similar object seems to be represented in a fresco picture of the Calendar of Ostia on which young boys prepare to apply a resin contained in a basin to a boat on a cart, i.e. yet to be launched.

;(b) The ''Tigillum Sororium'': The ''Tigillum Sororium'' would be related to a gentilician cult of wood of the [[Horatii]], as surmised by the episodes of the ''pons sublicius'' defended by [[Horatius Cocles]], and of the posts of the main entrance of the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus on which [[Marcus Horatius Pulvillus]] lay his hand during the dedication rite. Gagé thinks the magic power of the ''Tigillum Sororium'' should be ascribed to the lively and burgeoning nature of wood.

====2. Religious quality of trees====
Trees as the wild olive, and the Greek or Italic lotus (''[[Celtis australis]]''), have analogous religious qualities to those of corniolum and wild fig for 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. The depiction of Janus and Boreas as bifrons====
The depiction of both Janus and [[Boreas (god)|Boreas]] as bifrons, and seasonal 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 after several changes in the calendar. The liminal character of Janus is still present in the association to the [[Saturnalia]] of December, reflecting the strict relationship between the two gods Janus and Saturn and the rather blurred distinction of their stories and symbols.

:The initial role of Janus in the political-religious operations of January: the ''nuncupatio votorum'' spanning the year, the imperial symbol of the boat in the opening rite of the sailing season, the ''vota felicia'': Janus and his myths allow for an ancient interpretation of the ''vota felicia'', different from the Isiadic one.

;(b) The idea of the Seasons in the ancient traditions of the [[Ionian Islands]]: The crossing of the [[Hyperborean]] myths. [[Cephalonia]] as a place at the cross of famous winds. Application of the theory of winds for the navigation in the Ionian Sea. The type ''Boreas Bifrons'' as probable model of the Roman Janus.

:This observation was made first by the ''Roscher Lexicon'': "Ianus is he too, doubtlessly, a god of wind"<ref>repeated in the ''RE Pauly-Wissowa'' s.v. Boreas by Rapp, P.</ref> Grimal has taken up this interpretation connecting it to a vase with red figures representing [[Boreas (god)|Boreas]] pursuing the nymph [[Oreithyia]]: Boreas is depicted as a two headed winged demon, the two faces with beards, one black and the other fair, perhaps symbolising the double movement of the winds Boreas and Antiboreas. This proves that the Greeks of the 5th century BC knew the image of Janus. Gagé feels compelled to mention here another parallel with Janus to be found in the figure of [[Argus Panoptes|Argos]] with one hundred eyes and in his association with his murderer [[Hermes]].

;(c) Solar, solsticial and cosmological elements: While there is no direct proof of an original solar meaning of Janus, this being the issue of learned speculations of the Roman erudits initiated into the mysteries and of emperors as [[Domitian]], the derivation from a Syrian cosmogonic deity proposed by P. Grimal looks more acceptable. Gagé though sees an ancient, preclassical Greek mythic substratum to which belong [[Deucalion]] and [[Pyrrha]], and the [[Hyperborean]] origins of the Delphic cult of [[Apollo]], as well as the [[Argonauts]].<ref>M. Delcourt ''Pyrrhus et Pyrrha'' Liège 1965; G. Colli ''La sapienza greca'' I. Milano 1977 p. 27; 45–47; 431–434.</ref> The beliefs in the magic power of trees is reflected in the use of the olive wood, as for the rolls of the ship Argos: the myth of the Argonauts has links with [[Corcyra]], remembered by [[Lucius Ampelius]].<ref>''Liber memorialis'' VIII.</ref>

====4. The sites of the cults of Janus at Rome====
The sites of the cults of Janus at Rome and his associations in ancient Latium.

;(a) ''Argiletum'': Varro gives either the myth of the killing of Argos as an etymology of the word Argi-letum (death of Argos), which looks to be purely fantastic, or that of place located upon a soil of clay, ''argilla'' in Latin. The place so named stood at the foot of the [[Viminal]], the hill of the reeds. It could also be referred to the white willow tree, used to make objects of trelliswork.

;(b) The [[Janiculum]]: The [[Janiculum]] may have been inhabited by people who were not Latin but had close alliances with Rome.<ref>L. Adams Holland above p. 224ff.: conquests of Ancus Marcius; J. Gagé ''La chute des Tarquins et les debuts de la Republique romaine'' Paris 1976 p. 197 ff.</ref> The right bank of the Tiber would constitute a typical, convenient, commodious landing place for boats and the cult of Janus would have been double insofar as amphibious.

;(c) Janus in Latium: Janus's cultic alliances and relations in Latium show a pre-Latin character. Janus has no association in cult (calendar or prayer ''formulae'') with any other entity. Even though he bears the epithet of ''Pater'' he is not head of a divine family; however some testimonies lend him a companion, sometimes female, and a son and / or a daughter. They belong to the family of the nymphs or genies of springs. Janus intervenes in the miracle of the hot spring during the battle between Romulus and Tatius: [[Juturna]] and the nymphs of the springs are clearly related to Janus as well as [[Venus (mythology)|Venus]], that in Ovid's ''Metamorphoses'' cooperates in the miracle and may have been confused with [[Venilia]], or perhaps the two might have been originally one.

:Janus has a direct link only to Venilia, with whom he fathered [[Canens (mythology)|Canens]].<ref>Ovid ''Metamorphoses'' XIV 334.</ref> The magic role of the wild olive tree (''oleaster'') is prominent in the description of the duel between [[Aeneas]] and [[Turnus]]<ref>Vergil ''Aeneis'' XII 766 ff.</ref> reflecting its religious significance and powers: it was sacred to sailors, also those who had shipwrecked as a protecting guide to the shore. It was probably venerated by a Prelatin culture in association with [[Faunus]].

:In the story of [[Venulus]] coming back from [[Apulia]] too one may see the religious connotation of the wild olive: the king discovers one into which a local shepherd had been turned for failing to respect the nymphs he had come across in a nearby cavern, apparently Venilia, who was the deity associated with the magic virtues of such tree.

:Gagé finds it remarkable that the characters related to Janus are in the ''Aeneis'' on the side of the [[Rutuli]]. In the poem Janus would be represented by [[Tiberinus (god)|Tiberinus]]. Olistene, the daughter of Janus with Camese, may reflect in her name that of the olive or ''oleaster'', or of Oreithyia.<ref>G. Radke ''Die Götter Altitaliens'' Münster 1965 s.v. Olistene, or Olistine: the name might also be related to adjective ''olitana'' meaning ''vetusta'' extremely old: cf. ''Corpus Glossariorum Latinorum'' IV 264.</ref> Camese may be reflected in [[Carmenta]]: Evander's mother is from [[Arcadia (ancient region)|Arcadia]], comes to Latium as an exile migrant and has her two festivals in January: Camese's name at any rate does not look Latin.

====5. Sociological remarks====

;(a) The vagueness of Janus's association with the cults of primitive Latium: The vagueness of Janus's association with the cults of primitive Latium and his indifference towards the social composition of the Roman State suggest that he was a god of an earlier amphibious merchant society in which the role of the guardian god was indispensable.

;(b) Janus bifrons and the [[Penates]]: Even though the cult of Janus cannot be confused with that of the Penates, related with Dardanian migrants from Troy, the binary nature of the Penates and of Janus postulates a correspondent ethnic or social organisation. Here the model is thought to be provided by the cult of the ''Magni Dei'' or [[Cabeiri]] preserved at [[Samothrace]] and worshipped particularly among sailing merchants.

:The aetiological myth is noteworthy too: at the beginning one finds [[Dardanus (son of Zeus)|Dardanos]] and his brother [[Iasion|Iasios]]<ref>Dionysius of Halicarnassus I 61: Iasos would have unduely aspired to the union with Demeter; Diodorus Siculus V 49: Iasion is on the contrary asked for the union by Demeter and from it Plutos is born.</ref> appearing as auxiliary figures in a [[Phrygia]]n cult to a [[Cybele|Great Mother]].

:In Italy there is a trace of a conflict between worshippers of the Argive [[Hera]] ([[Diomedes]] and the Diomedians of the south) and of the Penates. The cult of Janus looks to be related to social groups remained at the fringe of the Phrygian ones. They might or might not have been related to the cult of the [[Dioscuri]].<ref>Objections by D. Briquel in ''MEFRA'' '''88''' 1976 p. 44 against St. Weinstock in ''Journal of Roman Studies'' 1960 p. 112 ff.</ref>