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The name Janus is probably derived from the old Italic word for an arch. Janus in the Republican and Imperial period was not considered to be one of the Capitoline Triad, of the most important gods. However, there is evidence that once, he was almost the equal of Jupiter, the King of the Gods in Latin theology. Janus was known to have several cult epithets, and Janus may be a conflation of earlier deities.<ref>Purcell, Nicholas. "Janus." In Oxford Research Encyclopaedia of Classics. 2015 </ref> There was no priesthood dedicated to performing rites for the god, but many public rites and ceremonies were held in his honor. They were conducted by rex sacrorum ("king of the sacred), one of the most senior priests in Rome.
Like many myths, the story of Janus may have been based on some person. Many later Romans believed that Janus was the first king of Latium. In mythology, it was claimed that he lived at either the ends of the earth or heaven's extremities. There is no one story about the god and what has been handed down to us is very fragmentary. He was even perplexing to the Romans. <ref>Taylor, R. (2000). Watching the skies: Janus, Auspication, and the Shrine in the Roman Forum. Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome, 45, 1-40</ref>.
====The myths and cult of Janus====
