Iana (goddess) Roscher includes Iana among the "indigitamenta", the list of deities maintained by Roman priests to assure that the correct divinity was invoked for rituals. Iana (goddess) Iana is the name of an ancient Roman goddess associated with arches and the moon, usually identified as either a form of Diana or the female counterpart of Janus. Varro (1st century BC) uses the name in his agricultural treatise, in a passage of dialogue in which the interlocutors explain that some farming tasks should be done when the moon is waxing, while the waning phase facilitates others, such as harvesting, shearing sheep, and
Dynamics of the celestial spheres Dynamics of the celestial spheres Ancient, medieval and Renaissance astronomers and philosophers developed many different theories about the dynamics of the celestial spheres. They explained the motions of the various nested spheres in terms of the materials of which they were made, external movers such as celestial intelligences, and internal movers such as motive souls or impressed forces. Most of these models were qualitative, although a few of them incorporated quantitative analyses that related speed, motive force and resistance. In considering the physics of the celestial spheres, scholars followed two different views about the material composition of the celestial spheres.