The original meaning of the word, if it ever were in common use, must have vanished long before Latin was a written language. The only traces of it, besides its appearance in the calendars, are in the traditional name for the Quirinal hill, Collis Agonus, in its gate, ‘porta agonensis,’ and its college of Salii agonenses[1247]. It would seem thus to have had some special connexion with the Colline city. The same word appears in the calendars for three other days, March 17 (Liberalia), May 21 (Agon. Vediovi), Dec. 11 (Septimontium); but it is impossible to make out any connexion between these and Jan. 9. Nor can we be sure that the sacrifice (if such it was), indicated by Agon, had any relation to the other ceremonies of the days thus marked[1248]. On Jan. 9 Ovid does indeed say that Janus was ‘agonali luce piandus,’ and on May 21 the Fasti Venusini add a note ‘Vediovi’ to the letters AGON; but there is no distinct proof that the agonium was a sacrifice to Janus or to Vediovis. We are utterly in the dark[1249]. On this day the Rex sacrorum offered a ram (to Janus?) in the Regia. Ovid says[1250] that though the meaning of Agon is doubtful, ita rex placare sacrorum Numina lanigerae coniuge debet ovis. It is provokingly uncertain whether this ram was actually sacrificed to Janus: Varro does not say so, and Ovid only implies it[1251]. But we may perhaps assume it on the ground that once at least in the ritual of the Fratres Arvales[1252] the ram is mentioned as Janus’ victim.