Janus Geminus

ancient temple, Rome, Italy

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 17, 2026

Quick Summary

The Janus Geminus was a shrine in ancient Rome, located on the north side of the Roman Forum. It was a rectangular bronze structure with double doors at each end, dedicated to the Roman god Janus, who was the spirit of doorways and archways.1

Traditionally, the doors of the Janus Geminus were kept open during times of war and closed during peace. According to the historian Livy, these gates were closed only twice in the long period between the 7th century BC and the 1st century BC. Janus was also considered the god of all beginnings and was invoked at the start of the day, month, and year. The month of January is named in his honor.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Janus
…janus in Rome was the Janus Geminus, which was actually a shrine of Janus at the north side of the Forum. It was a simple rectangular bronze structure with double doors at each end. Traditionally, the doors of this shrine were left open in time of war and were kept…
Read More
…janus in Rome was the Janus Geminus, which was actually a shrine of Janus at the north side of the Forum. It was a simple rectangular bronze structure with double doors at each end. Traditionally, the doors of this shrine were left open in time of war and were kept…
Read More