Last Wednesday, I had some time in the middle of the day without classes, so we decided to do a little tiyul to Banias. This city was established in about 3 B.C.E. and was known then as "Caesarea Philippi". Those of you who have read the Christian Bible may recognize this name.
The city was set right by a vertical stone cliff with a shallow but tall cave near one end, and several temples were built at various time right next to the cliff. The patron saint of the city was Pan, the goat god, so there are temples to both him and his consort, Echo. Pan was also the god of sudden fear, from whose name we get the word "panic".
It's a perfect place for a city because there are plentiful springs of water there. We followed a trail alongside the main stream, called "The Banias", that flows from there. The trail led us under a Roman arched bridge, past a no-longer-used flour mill, and on to the palace of Herod Agrippa II. The palace was quite elaborate, including various passageways under its main level. We walked through one of these which passes right under the modern highway 99 (the highway leading from Kiryat Shmona to Har Khermon (Mount Hermon) and the northern Golan), which runs right through the ruins of the palace!
I have included 3 pictures from Banias. The first shows the Roman arched bridge. The second shows the highway through the palace (with a car on it). The third shows a view of the area next to the cliff, where the temples were located. In it, you can see a capitol of a Roman column and the opening of the cave.
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