JĀNŬA (θύρα), a door. Besides being applicable to the doors of
apartments in the interior of a house, which were properly called
_ostia_, this term more especially denoted the first entrance into
the house, _i.e._ the front or street door, which was also called
_anticum_, and in Greek θύρα αὔλειος, αὐλεία, αὔλιος, or αὐλία. The
houses of the Romans commonly had a back door, called _posticum_,
_postica_, or _posticula_, and in Greek παράθυρα, _dim._ παραθύριον.
The door-way, when complete, consisted of four indispensable
parts; the threshold, or sill (_limen_, βηλός, οὖδας); the lintel
(_jugumentum, limen superum_); and the two jambs (_postes_, σταθμοί).
The door itself was called _foris_ or _valva_, and in Greek σανίς,
κλισιάς, or θύρετρον. These words are commonly found in the plural,
because the door-way of every building of the least importance
contained two doors folding together. When _foris_ is used in the
singular, it denotes one of the folding doors only. The fastenings
of the door (_claustra_, _obices_) commonly consisted of a bolt
(_pessulus_; μάνδαλος, κατοχεύς, κλεῖθρον) placed at the base of each
_foris_, so as to admit of being pushed into a socket made in the
sill to receive it. By night, the front-door of the house was further
secured by means of a wooden and sometimes an iron bar (_sera_,
_repagula_, μοχλός) placed across it, and inserted into sockets on
each side of the door-way. Hence it was necessary to remove the bar
(τὸν μοχλὸν παράφερειν) in order to open the door (_reserare_). It
was considered improper to enter a house without giving notice to its
inmates. This notice the Spartans gave by shouting; the Athenians and
all other nations by using the knocker, or more commonly by rapping
with the knuckles or with a stick (κρούειν, κόπτειν). In the houses
of the rich a porter (_janitor_, _custos_, θυρωρός) was always in
attendance to open the door. He was commonly an eunuch or a slave,
and was chained to his post. To assist him in guarding the entrance,
a dog was universally kept near it, being also attached by a chain
to the wall; and in reference to this practice, the warning _cave
canem_, εὐλαβοῦ τὴν κύνα, was sometimes written near the door. The
appropriate name for the portion of the house immediately behind the
door (θυρών) denotes that it was a kind of apartment; it corresponded
to the hall or lobby of our houses. Immediately adjoining it, and
close to the front door, there was in many houses a small room for
the porter.