Diana (mythology) a deity precursor of Artemis. Modern scholars mostly accept the identification. The ancient Latin writers Varro and Cicero considered the etymology of Dīāna as allied to that of "dies" and connected to the shine of the Moon. The persona of Diana is complex, and contains a number of archaic features. Diana was originally considered to be a goddess of the wilderness and of the hunt, a central sport in both Roman and Greek culture. Early Roman inscriptions to Diana celebrated her primarily as a huntress and patron of hunters. Later, in the Hellenistic period, Diana came to be equally or
Iana (goddess) to "Dianium", referring to either a shrine or the Temple of Diana on the Aventine Hill. Diana is one of the Roman goddesses most often identified with the moon, but Usener thought Iana might be better identified with Juno Lucina. The Church Father Tertullian, however, calls Iana a "diva arquis", "goddess of arches" (Latin "arcus" or "arquus", "arch; rainbow"). The arch as a passageway or portal suggests Iana as the female counterpart of Janus, whose role as a "doorkeeper" includes functions pertaining to time and the heavens. Varro's contemporary Nigidius Figulus identified Janus with Apollo and Iana with Diana. W.H.