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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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Janus

A firework show at the Temple of Dawn in Thailand

The Ancient Origins of New Year’s Celebrations

On January 1st of every year, many countries around the world celebrate the beginning of a new year. But there is nothing new about New Year’s. In fact, festivals and celebrations marking the...
Painted ceiling in Waltham Abbey parish church, depicting Janus facing both past and future.

How Janus Became the Doorkeeper of Heaven and God of the Gods

Janus is a deity found in the religion and myth of ancient Rome. The Romans believed that Janus was the god of doors, beginnings and endings, and transitions. In accordance to the role he played,...
Left: St Januarius’ blood being examined in Naples. Credit: The Catholic Herald. Right: An early portrait of Saint Januarius. Note the two blood ampoules in the lower left corner. (Louis Finson / Public domain)

The Blood of Saint Januarius and The Miracle of Liquefaction

Saint Januarius is a saint venerated in the Roman Catholic Church . He is the patron saint of Naples but is best-known for a miracle that happens several times each year – the liquefaction of what is...
The Janus figures of Boa Island

Mysterious Janus Figures of Ireland Reflect Pagan - Christian Fusion

Tucked away on two tiny islands in Northern Ireland – Boa Island and White Island – are a series of ancient anthropomorphic figures that are regarded as the most enigmatic and remarkable stone...

Landmark Find: Spanish Archaeologists Locate Long-Lost Janus Augustus Arch

German archaeologists were close to a major find in the 1980s, but it took another three decades before the ruins of the long-lost Janus Augustus Arch have finally been unearthed. A team of Spanish...
Mosaic with the months of the year, starting with the Roman first month March.

Where do the names of our months come from?

Our lives run on Roman time. Birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and public holidays are regulated by Pope Gregory XIII’s Gregorian Calendar , which is itself a modification of Julius Caesar’s calendar...