- Temple of Janus (Forum Holitorium)
Temple of Janus (? aedes Jani) [Fest. 285 states that the senate was forbidden to meet in this temple due to their decree that the
Fabii should go forth to the siege ofVeii was made "in aede Jani; but this is probably apocryphal, for there is no evidence of an earlier temple of Janus in Rome in which a meeting of the senate could have been held. The structure of Duilius, however, was probably on the site of an earlier shrine (HJ 508; Rosch. II.26; Gilb. I.260‑265; iii.380; Jord. I.2.347).] , temple to the Roman god Janus in theForum Holitorium ,Rome .History
Construction
It was built by C. Duilius after the victory at the
battle of Mylae . [Tac. Ann. II.49.] Its position is defined as 'ad theatrum Marcelli' [Fast. Allif. et Vall. ad XVI Kal. Sept., CIL I2 p217, 240; Fast. Amit. ad XV Kal. Nov., CIL I2 p245, 325, 332] , iuxta theatrum Marcelli [Serv. Aen. VII.607, which is an interpolation in Jordan's opinion, though this is not warranted by Thilo's apparatus criticus. It is much more likely that a scholiast confused this temple with the Janus at the bottom of theArgiletum , and accordingly wrote 'sacrarium hoc, id est belli portas,Numa Pompilius fecit circa imum Argiletum iuxta theatrum Marcelli' (cf. LIV. I.19.2). This is the second of the alternatives suggested by Wissowa in Gött. Gel. Anz. 1904, 562.] ,1 and extra portam Carmentalem [Fest. 285.] The day of dedication was the Portunalia,17th August [See Fast. Allif. et Vallens.; and for the significance of the fact, Pais, Fasti Triumphales Capitolini, ii.474‑478.]Augustus
Augustus began restoring this temple, a project completed by his heirTiberius in 17 A.D. [Tac. loc. cit.] , but the dedication day of the restored structure was18th October . [Fast. Amit] According toPliny the Elder [NH xxxvi.28] Augustus brought a statue of Janus (the work either ofScopas orPraxiteles [Probably Scopas's Έρμης δικέφαλος (Hermes Dicephalus, Two-headed/two-faced Hermes, appropriate to Janus) - WR 106; Jahr. d. Inst. 1890, 148‑149.] to be dedicated in this temple.Notes
External links
* [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Roma/Rome/_Texts/PLATOP*/Aedes_Jani.html Lacus Curtius] - Platner
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