DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14696#0450
The significance of Ianus' double face 383
design a beardless Janiform head wearing a pointed pe'tasos, and for
reverse either a dolphin1 or a
club (fig. 291)2 or a mere mark
of value3. Coins of Telamon in
Etruria with a similar Janiform
head on the obverse and a prow
on the reverse are probably
spurious4. It is commonly
held that the dicephalous god
of Volaterrae was Ianus — a
view strongly advocated by
W. Deecke5 ; but the absence
of a beard and the presence of
a pe'tasos point rather to the
justice of W. H. Roscher's'5
suspicion that we should here
recognise, not Ianus, but Her-
mes.
On the whole I incline to
the conclusion that all these
double-faced deities—Hermes
the 'Pillar'-god (?)7 among them—-were originally local varieties
1 Garrucci A/on. It. ant. p. 25 pi. 47, 2, 3, 4, Brit. Mus. Cat. Coins Italy p. ir nos.
1 fig. and 2, Hunter Cat. Coins i. 3 no. 6, W. Deecke Etruskische Forschungen Stuttgart
1876 ii. 41—43-
2 Garrucci Mon. It. ant. p. 25 pi. 48, r, 2, 3 ( = my fig. 291), 4, 5, 6, 7, Brit. Mus.
Cat. Coins Italy p. 10 f. nos. 1 —17, Hunter Cat. Coins i. 3 nos. 2—5, W. Deecke
Etruskische Forschungen Stuttgart 1876 ii. 37—41 pi. 3, 50, Muller—Wieseler Denkm.
d. alt. Kunst i. 74 pi. 63, 327, R. Ratto Catalogo di una grande collezione di un distinto
numismatico straniero Milano 1912 p. 4 f. nos. 40 pi. 2, 41, 42 pi. 2, 43, 44.
s Garrucci Mon. It. ant. p. 26 pi. 49, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Brit. Mus. Cat. Coins Italy
p. 9 nos. 1 —14, Hunter Cat. Coins i. 3 no. 1, W. Deecke Etruskische Forschungen
.Stuttgart 1876 ii. 34—37 pi. 3, 42, R. Ratto Catalogo di una grande collezio7ie di un
distinto numismatico straniero Milano 1912 p. 5 nos. 45, 46.
4 Garrucci Mon. It. ant. p. 188 pi. 125, Monete false 1, W. Deecke Etruskische For-
schungen Stuttgart 1876 ii. 43 f. nos. 6oa and 6ob, 128, 147 f.
5 W. Deecke Etruskische Forschungen Stuttgart 1876 ii. 123 ff.
6 W. H. Roscher in his Lex. Alyth. ii. 28, 51.
7 The present state of our knowledge, or rather ignorance, with regard to the name
"EpfArjs is summarised by Boisacq Diet, itym. de la Langue Gr. p. 282 n. 3 : ' L'etym.
de 'Ep^s est inconnue ; dor. 'Ep/xas (< *'Ep,uaas) eol. "Ep/ms ep. 'Ep/xeas 'Ep/xeias (voy.
Solmsen Beitr. 1 240 11. 1) ep. tardif 'Ept<.a7?s ion. att. 'Ep,u??s, puis thess. Ep/xavov dat.
GDI. 1300 sont les hypocoristiques de *'Epfxdfojv (cf. UoriSds: lloTeidafwv), ci.'Epfxdwv
Hsd., lac. 'Epfxduvi dat. inscr. metrique Le Bas—Foucart 167, 5, lac. arc. 'Epfj.avos gen.,
mess. 'Eppiavi dat. etc. Les opinions de Kuhn (: skr. Sarameyah " fils de la deesse-
chienne Sardmd," gr. bpfx-f] " *tempete"), Max Muller ('Ep/xects " *fils de l'aurore"),
Welcker (: gr. 6p/j.rj "succession du jour et de la nuit, de la vie et de la mort"), Preller
(: gr. epfxa "tas de pierres,"' cf. les epfxata, ep/xaloL \6(poi, eptm/ces), A. Legrand dans
Fig. 290.
design a beardless Janiform head wearing a pointed pe'tasos, and for
reverse either a dolphin1 or a
club (fig. 291)2 or a mere mark
of value3. Coins of Telamon in
Etruria with a similar Janiform
head on the obverse and a prow
on the reverse are probably
spurious4. It is commonly
held that the dicephalous god
of Volaterrae was Ianus — a
view strongly advocated by
W. Deecke5 ; but the absence
of a beard and the presence of
a pe'tasos point rather to the
justice of W. H. Roscher's'5
suspicion that we should here
recognise, not Ianus, but Her-
mes.
On the whole I incline to
the conclusion that all these
double-faced deities—Hermes
the 'Pillar'-god (?)7 among them—-were originally local varieties
1 Garrucci A/on. It. ant. p. 25 pi. 47, 2, 3, 4, Brit. Mus. Cat. Coins Italy p. ir nos.
1 fig. and 2, Hunter Cat. Coins i. 3 no. 6, W. Deecke Etruskische Forschungen Stuttgart
1876 ii. 41—43-
2 Garrucci Mon. It. ant. p. 25 pi. 48, r, 2, 3 ( = my fig. 291), 4, 5, 6, 7, Brit. Mus.
Cat. Coins Italy p. 10 f. nos. 1 —17, Hunter Cat. Coins i. 3 nos. 2—5, W. Deecke
Etruskische Forschungen Stuttgart 1876 ii. 37—41 pi. 3, 50, Muller—Wieseler Denkm.
d. alt. Kunst i. 74 pi. 63, 327, R. Ratto Catalogo di una grande collezione di un distinto
numismatico straniero Milano 1912 p. 4 f. nos. 40 pi. 2, 41, 42 pi. 2, 43, 44.
s Garrucci Mon. It. ant. p. 26 pi. 49, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Brit. Mus. Cat. Coins Italy
p. 9 nos. 1 —14, Hunter Cat. Coins i. 3 no. 1, W. Deecke Etruskische Forschungen
.Stuttgart 1876 ii. 34—37 pi. 3, 42, R. Ratto Catalogo di una grande collezio7ie di un
distinto numismatico straniero Milano 1912 p. 5 nos. 45, 46.
4 Garrucci Mon. It. ant. p. 188 pi. 125, Monete false 1, W. Deecke Etruskische For-
schungen Stuttgart 1876 ii. 43 f. nos. 6oa and 6ob, 128, 147 f.
5 W. Deecke Etruskische Forschungen Stuttgart 1876 ii. 123 ff.
6 W. H. Roscher in his Lex. Alyth. ii. 28, 51.
7 The present state of our knowledge, or rather ignorance, with regard to the name
"EpfArjs is summarised by Boisacq Diet, itym. de la Langue Gr. p. 282 n. 3 : ' L'etym.
de 'Ep^s est inconnue ; dor. 'Ep/xas (< *'Ep,uaas) eol. "Ep/ms ep. 'Ep/xeas 'Ep/xeias (voy.
Solmsen Beitr. 1 240 11. 1) ep. tardif 'Ept<.a7?s ion. att. 'Ep,u??s, puis thess. Ep/xavov dat.
GDI. 1300 sont les hypocoristiques de *'Epfxdfojv (cf. UoriSds: lloTeidafwv), ci.'Epfxdwv
Hsd., lac. 'Epfxduvi dat. inscr. metrique Le Bas—Foucart 167, 5, lac. arc. 'Epfj.avos gen.,
mess. 'Eppiavi dat. etc. Les opinions de Kuhn (: skr. Sarameyah " fils de la deesse-
chienne Sardmd," gr. bpfx-f] " *tempete"), Max Muller ('Ep/xects " *fils de l'aurore"),
Welcker (: gr. 6p/j.rj "succession du jour et de la nuit, de la vie et de la mort"), Preller
(: gr. epfxa "tas de pierres,"' cf. les epfxata, ep/xaloL \6(poi, eptm/ces), A. Legrand dans
Fig. 290.