Temple of Janus (Roman Forum) Temple of Janus (Roman Forum) In ancient Rome, the main Temple of Janus as it is often called, although it was not a normal temple, stood in the Roman Forum near the Argiletum. It had doors on both ends, and inside was a statue of Janus, the two-faced god of boundaries. The doors (the "Gates of Janus") were closed in times of peace and opened in times of war. According to Livy 1.19 the second king of Rome, Numa Pompilius, decided to distract the early, warlike Romans from their violent ways by instilling in them awe and reverence. His projects
She-wolf (Roman mythology) that the wolf held a special place in the world of the ancient inhabitants of Italy. One legend claims that the Hirpini people were so-called because, when they set out to found their first colony, they were led to its location by a wolf (from the Sabine word for wolf: "hirpus"). The tale of the Lupercal is central to that of the twins, and probably predates theirs. To the Roman god Mars the wolf is a sacred animal. There is an ongoing debate about a connection to the ancient Roman festival of the Lupercalia. In Greek mythology, Apollo's mother Leto