Rome: Arch of Janus Quadrifrons

Republican coin showing Janus, c.225-212 BCE; Kunsthistorisches Museum, Wien (Austria). Photo Jona Lendering.

Arch of Janus Quadrifrons: monument in Rome from the fourth century.

The two-headed god Janus, originally venerated in the valley of the Lower Tiber, belongs to the oldest members of the Roman pantheon. He was considered to be the "god of the gods" and guarded all kinds of doors and gates. This god was also invoked at the beginning of sacrifices and is therefore thought to have had something to do with beginnings in general. From the reign of the emperor Domitian (81-96) on, Janus was also represented with four heads, called Janus Quadrifrons.

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The arch of Janus Quadrifrons. Photo Marco Prins.

The Arch of Janus Quadrifrons at the Velabrum marks the northeastern limit of the Forum Boarium, the cattle market of ancient Rome. The monument was constructed from bricks and was covered with white marble. The building was probably erected by the emperor Constantine I the Great (306-337) and was also called Arcus Constantini. The exact significance of this monumental arch, which was built on top of the Cloaca Maxima, is poorly understood.

It is likely that the arch was once better decorated; there must have been statues in the niches. Nothing is left. Some of the ancient ornaments, however, survive. The third photos shows a small detail of one of the arches: at first sight, it may be the goddess Minerva. However, the type of representation makes it likely that this in fact is the sacred statuette called Paladium, a statue of the goddess that had once fallen from the skies and had -according to the Roman poet Virgil, been taken from Troy to Italy by the hero Aeneas.

A satellite photo can be found here, and another article is here.