Janus Janus In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus (; ("Iānus"), ) is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces, since he looks to the future and to the past. It is conventionally thought that the month of January is named for Janus (Ianuarius), but according to ancient Roman farmers' almanacs Juno was the tutelary deity of the month. Janus presided over the beginning and ending of conflict, and hence war and peace. The gates of a building in Rome named after him (not a temple, as it
Culsans out that since the two figures both wear boots and a torque in common, these items are not likely special clothing, characteristic of either god in particular. The two Cortona figures are different in that Selvans only has one face and wears a different style cap which seems to be made from an animal skin of some sort, possibly from a lion or a wolf. Selvans is equated by some scholars to the Roman god Silvanus. Selvans, like Culśanś is probably a god who protected boundaries, liminal spaces, gates and doorways. Another noteworthy aspect of these two Cortona figures, is