Janiculum and Janus: A Reassessment of Cult and Topography

Data evento
15 April 2026

This paper examines a specific dimension of the multiform cult of Janus, with particular attention to its Roman topography and the problematic evidence for his cult places. While his sanctuary in the Forum Romanum is well known—its doors famously standing open in times of war and closed when peace prevailed—the broader spatial logic of Janus’ worship remains elusive. Central to this investigation is the striking paradox of the Janiculum: a hill intimately associated with Janus yet lacking any securely attested sanctuary dedicated to the deity whose name it bears. Janus, traditionally conceived as the god of doors, thresholds, and other spatial limina, also operated as a cosmic divinity of beginnings, presiding over the cyclical transitions of years, months, and days. His primary theological identification, as transmitted by Macrobius in the Saturnalia, was with the sun (Macr. 1.9.9: Ianum quidam solem demonstrari volunt). The paper argues that a hypothesized cult site on the Janiculum—or, at the very least, the god’s enduring association with this hill—may  be illuminated by the summit’s distinctive position as a privileged vantage point for observing solar movements, sunrises and sunsets, and annual cycles of the seasons.

https://bsr.ac.uk/city-of-rome-janiculum-and-janus-a-reassessment-of-cult-and-topography/