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
Book of Gates ancient village of artists and craftsmen who built pharaonic tombs in the New Kingdom. The goddesses listed in the "Book of Gates" each have different titles, and wear different coloured clothes, but are identical in all other respects, wearing a five pointed star above their heads. Most of the goddesses are specific to the "Book of Gates", and do not appear elsewhere in Egyptian mythology, and so it has been suggested that the "Book of Gates" originated merely as a system for determining the time at night, with the goddess at each gate being a representation of the main star