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He was especially associated with celebrations around the New Year. There were often shrines to Janus at bridges, doors, and arches anywhere that involved transitions and movement. There were many ceremonial gates known as Jani. These free-standing structures were entered and excited because they were regarded as auspicious. In mythology, Janus is shown as having good relationships with Jupiter, Juno, and other important gods. It is widely believed that January was named after Janus, and this is given credence because the deity was associated with the New Year. Janus was represented in Roman art as bearded and had two faces pointing two ways. Some representations of Janus have him with four faces.
====What is the connection between Janus and War==?==One of the misconceptions about Janus is that this God was associated with war. This was not the case as the god of transitions and changed. He was the patron of the movement from war to peace and from peace to war.<ref>DeBrohun, J. B. (2007). The gates of war (and peace): Roman literary perspectives. War and peace in the ancient world, 256-78</ref> The Romans widely believed that Janus presided over the start and the end of a war. For a war-like people like the Romans, this was very important. Therefore Janus was often invoked in preparation for war and even its conduct.
The Janiculum was believed to be the pace where Janus resided at different times. The remains of the building have been tentatively identified, but this has been disputed. Janus was also associated with the rites of the Salii, which were groups of patricians who practiced archaic rites<ref> DeBrohun, p.121</ref>. They performed rituals at the beginning of the beginning and end of the warm season. In the ancient world, wars were seasonal and mostly occurred in the Spring and Summer. There were two bronze doors at the temple site. When the Republic and later the Empire was at war, the doors were opened, which symbolized that the citizens were at war.
In 390 AD, Emperor Theodosius the Great ordered the closure of pagan temples. This ended almost a millennium of rituals at the Janiculum, which was turned into a church. However, in the mid-6th century AD, some Roman opened the door for the last time, when the Byzantines were under siege from the Goths. This may indicate that even after the Christianisation of the Empire, there were still some who revered the old God<ref> DeBrohun, p.121</ref>. It was once argued that many witches honored the god Janus in their rituals, but most scholars have rejected this.
==What is the significance of Janus?==
An understanding of the god Janus offers us a unique insight into Roman and Italic religion and worldview. It should be noted that the Greeks also had a god of entrances and doorways, but he was a minor figure. The Romans attached great importance to him because he embodied two of the most important principles in life and the world: transition and change.
