The Small Temple of Portunus by the River Tiber in Rome Italy
Temple of Portunus in the Forum Boarium. Portunus was the ancient Roman god of keys, doors, livestock and ports. He may have originally protected the warehouses where grain was stored, but later became associated with ports, perhaps because of folk associations between porta "gate, door" and portus "harbor", the "gateway" to the sea, His festival, celebrated on August 17, the sixteenth day before the Kalends of September, was the Portunalia, a minor occasion in the Roman year. On this day, keys were thrown into a fire for good luck in a very solemn and lugubrious manner. His attribute was a key and his main temple in the city of Rome, the Temple of Portunus, was to be found in the Forum Boarium. Portunus appears to be closely related to the god Janus, with whom he shares many characters, functions and the symbol of the key He too was represented as a two headed being, with each head facing opposite directions, on coins and as figurehead of ships.
Size: 4016px × 6016px
Location: Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy
Photo credit: © Brenda Kean / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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