Terminus

Roman God of boundaries and frontiers. Specifically, Terminus was the god of the sacred boundaries of pieces of land that were dedicated to Jupiter, the supreme god in Roman mythology. In Latin, "terminus" means boundary. In daily life, Terminus protected the good relationship between owners of neighboring properties. He supported and encouraged harmony among neighbors, a task that was very important in an agrarian or farming culture such as ancient Rome. New neighbors would dig a hole at the boundary of their properties and consecrate that hole with wine, offerings, and the blood of a sacrificial animal. They then took a large stone, coated it in oil, added garlands of plants to it, and buried it in the hole. Each year after that first ceremony, the neighbors met at the stone and offered a sacrifice to Terminus to seek his help in protecting their land. Terminus also guarded boundaries in time and marked the end of events as well as pieces of property. His festival in the Roman calendar of festivals, Terminalia, on February 23, marked the end of the year.