A RECONSTRUCTION OF THE LOST TEMPLE OF JANUS: NERONIAN SESTERTII, 64/65 CE

Abstract

The Temple of Janus was an important and symbolic temple in Rome. The doors served as an index for peace and war and were either opened or closed accordingly. The only contemporary depiction of the temple is the Neronian coins that were struck in 64/5 CE in both Rome and Lugdunum in celebration of Nero’s defeat of the Parthians. This coin type is the only evidence that we have left of the Temple of Janus since the temple is lost and has no remains left. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the depictions of the temple on these coins to discover the most reliable and accurate representation of the Temple of Janus since they are the only evidence left of its appearance. By discovering the exact order of striking and observing how the appearance of the temple changed over time in the earliest Neronian sestertii, I will attempt to uncover the most accurate depiction of the Temple of Janus. The architectural features present on the earliest dies, which will be discovered by means of a die study, will be further analyzed by un-manipulating its numismatic representation; this is because die engravers had certain working methods that they would use to manipulate the appearance in order to depict a large monument on such a small medium. I will then undo these changes made to the depiction of the temple in order to discover the true architectural features of the temple and therefore reconstruct the lost Temple of Janus and uncover its original appearance.