Editing Janus (section)

===God of beginnings and passages===
His function as god of beginnings has been clearly expressed in numerous ancient sources, among them most notably Cicero, Ovid, and Varro.<ref>Varro apud Augustine ''De Civitate Dei'' VII 9: "Penes Ianum sunt prima, penes Iovem summa... Janus rules over the first things, Jupiter over the highest ones. It is thence right that Jupiter be considered the king of everything, because accomplishment has the first place in order of importance (''dignitas'') even though it has the second in order of time".</ref> 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.<ref>M. Renard, "Aspects anciens de Janus et de Junon", ''Revue belge de philologie et d'histoire'' 31/1 (1953), p. 6.</ref> He has under his tutelage the stepping in and out of the door of homes,<ref>C. Bailey above p. 47.</ref> the ''ianua'', which took its name from him,<ref>F. Altheim ''History of Roman Religion'' London 1938 p. 194; V. Basanoff, ''Les dieux des Romains'' (Paris, 1942), p. 18.</ref> and not vice versa.<ref>M. Renard above p. 6 against C. Bailey above p. 47.</ref> Similarly, his tutelage extends to the covered passages named ''iani'' and foremost to the gates of the city, including the cultic gate of the ''{{lang|la|Argiletum}}'', named ''{{lang|la|Ianus Geminus}}'' or ''{{lang|la|Porta Ianualis}}'' from which he protects Rome against the Sabines.<ref>Ovid ''Fasti'' I 257 ff.; on the location of the ''Porta Ianualis'' cf. P. Grimal, "{{lang|fr|Le dieu Janus et les origines de Rome}}", ''Lettres d' humanité''  4 (1945), p. 41; "Le ''Janus'' de l'Argilete", ''Mélanges d'archaeologie et d'histoire'' 64 (1952), pp. 39–58; G. Lugli ''Roma antica. Il centro monumentale'' (Rome, 1946), p. 82ff.; A. Boethius, "Il tempio di Giano in imo Argileto" in ''Symbolae Philologicae Gotoburgenses'' (Gotheborg, 1950) p.23ff.</ref> He is also present at the [[Sororium Tigillum]], where he guards the terminus of the ways into Rome from Latium.<ref>It is possible that the Tigillum was on the boundary of the [[pomerium]], perhaps the eastern gate at the end of the ''decumanus'' of Rome, before the inclusion of the [[Septimontium]]: cf. the repetition of the formula ''vel intra pomerium vel extra pomerium'' in Livy's record concerning the expiation of the Horatius (I 26, 6 and 11): R. Schilling, "Janus. Le dieu introducteur. Le dieu des passages",  ''Mélanges d'archéologie et d'histoire'' 72 (1960), p. 110, citing A. Piganiol in ''MEFR'' (1908), pp. 233–82.</ref> He has an altar, later a temple near the ''[[Porta Carmentalis]]'', where the road leading to [[Veii]] ended, as well as being present on the [[Janiculum]], a gateway from Rome out to Etruria.<ref>Paulus s.v. Ianiculum; L. Audin "Janus, le génie de l'Argilète", ''Lettres d' Humanité'' 10 (1951), pp. 54–5, 59, 71, 73.</ref>

The connection of the notions of beginning (''principium''), movement, transition (''eundo''), and thence time was clearly expressed by Cicero.<ref>C. Bailey, ''Phases in the Religion of Ancient Rome'' (Berkeley, 1932), p. 46; Cicero ''De Natura Deorum'' II 67.</ref> 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.<ref>Ovid ''Fasti'' I 125–126: "I preside over the gates of Heaven together with the mild Hours: Jupiter himself goes and comes back by my working".</ref> 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.<ref>Pliny ''Naturalis Historia'' XXXIV 7; Macrobius ''Saturnalia'' I 9 10; Lydus ''De Mensibus'' I 4.</ref> He presides over the concrete and abstract beginnings of the world,<ref>According to [[Marcus Terentius Varro|Varro]], in the ''Carmen Saliare'' Janus is called "creator", as the initiator of the world itself. ''De Lingua Latina'', VII, 26–27; Ovid ''Fasti'' I 117-20 states he is the ruler and mover of the universe.</ref> such as religion and the gods themselves,<ref>Macrobius ''Saturnalia'' I 9, 2.</ref> he too holds the access to Heaven and to other gods: this is the reason why men must invoke him first, regardless of the god they want to pray to or placate.<ref>Ovid ''Fasti'' I 173-4.</ref> He is the initiator of human life,<ref>Macrobius defines him ''Consivium'', i.e. propagator of the mankind. ''Saturnalia'', I, 9, 16.</ref> of new historical ages, and financial enterprises: according to myth he was the first to mint coins and the [[As (coin)|as]], first coin of the liberal series, bears his effigy on one face.<ref>Macrobius ''Sat. '' I 7, 22: the ship on the other face remembers the arrival of Saturn; cf. Ovid ''Fasti'' I 230-40.</ref>