What are the Gates of Janus? #shorts

At the very heart of Rome lay the infamous Gates of Janus, whose ritual opening heralded the outbreak of war and whose closing celebrated the return of peace. Legend tells that during Rome’s incredible rise to power they lay open for nearly 700 years from King Numa to Emperor Augustus with but one exception. We begin with a discussion of the Roman God Janus. We then move on to talk about the various temples and shrines of Janus located across the city of Rome with the most important ones being the Temple of Janus Geminus at the edge of the Roman forum. These likely were a part of early Roman war making traditions alongside the declarations of war and the augury of sacred chickens prior to giving battle. We discuss how myths about the Gates of War grew over the course of the Roman Republic and were later exploited by Roman Emperors such as Augustus, Nero, and Vespasian for propaganda.

Credits:
Research: Invicta
Script: Invicta
Narration: Invicta
Artwork: Penta Limited

#history #documentary #rome #shorts

[timid]

I finally get the reference used for the series of "Gate: And so the Self-defense force fought"

[jeffreese]

I always thought it would be cool if the statue was a giant head with two faces, the temple with two gates . The benign face of peace faced inward over the city and was open in times of peace and the outward facing gate was kept closed . When war broke out, the inner gate was closed and the outer gate opened, revealing the furious, misshapen face of War outward at the world and enemies of Rome . More like a hilltop Temple with opening sides/gates, than a gated roadway, is how I imagine it .
Pure symbolism, but that was enjoyed by the ancient Romans for it's emotional effects .

[marshalllawu]

I like the latter take on it, seems more meaningful.

[PiippoErareika]

We need Janus to be a minor god for Rome in Age of Mythology Retold.

[bottomless_pit]

Great video thank you for the educational content

[Arunar]

at least during the time of the republic(i know much less about the empire). Soldiers would not have gone through the gate if it was in rome proper. The boundary of rome proper was marked by the pomerium. weapons, soldiers and generals were not allowed to cross this border. the only exceptions were during a generals triumph, or major civil unrest. even bringing a dagger across this line could get one put to death. it was considered an act of invading rome. Even if by roman soldiers, or senators.

[rossphillipgerard]

No open means offering and sacrifices in the temple. Closed means unmanned and no offering accepted

[NCcody]

Designed by the great Hugh Janus I believe.

[Ggdivhjkjl]

That explains why wars start in January.

[harmacist]

Gates of Janus had a sister somewhere in the vast Roman Empire. It's called Gates of Woodjablomi.

[muhammadcalvin]

Is Janus considered a good deity in the Roman pantheon?

[JoeyP]

bro I don't know why I read it as "J'anus" in a french accent

[alexzero]

This art is very wrong. Ancient Greeks invented automatic doors, you just need to ignite fire in the basement and a temple door opens.