Months of the year
January was named after the Roman god Janus, the god of beginnings and of doors and gateways. Janus was represented as having two faces so that he might guard both entrances and exits. This has reinforced the mistaken belief that January was so named because it was the first month of the year. In fact, however, when the ten-month Roman calendar was reestablished about 700 B.C., January was added as the eleventh month and so named because it contained a feast day in honor of Janus. In 153 B.C. it began to be counted, as the first month and January quickly became a popular festival.
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