powered by FreeFind	Paneas (Banias) 152 pictures     6 minutes HQ video Ever since the conquests of Alexander the Great in the Helenistic Period (332 B. C.), when the Greek culture was brought to the East, our area was, too, captivated by the new culture. Here, by the flowing river, and the rich vegetation, the Paneon was built, a temple for the god Pan, whose home was nature. As a matter of a fact, the place was named after the god himself- Panias, or Pamias (Banias, in an Arabic pronunciation). Paneas The earliest evidence for the existence of the Paneon, can be found at the written accounts of Xenon of Rhodes. The historian writes about the battle taking place in Paneon in the year 200 B. C., between the Thalami and the Seluki forces, fighting for control over Israel. At the end of the first century A. D., the Romans annexed Panias to Herod's kingdom. The contemporary historian, Josephus Plavius (Joseph Ben Mattityahu), related that Herod built a temple near the springs, dedicating it to his benefactor, the Roman Augustus Caesar. After Herod's death, his kingdom was divided between his three sons. The northern part of Israel, and the Golan area, were given to Philip, who made Panias the capital of his kingdom (2 B. C.). The place was named Caesarea Philippe, though the place was still named Panias by all. Panias remained the kingdom's capital even during the rule of Agripas the Second (the second half of the first century A. D.). Josephus Plavius wrote that Agripas II beautified the town, building there a great palace and temples decorated with sculptures. According to the Christian tradition, one of the most significant events in the development of the Christianity, took place in Panias. That was the place where St. Peters told Jesus he was the Messiah, and Jesus replied: " (Matthews 16:17-18). It was at that very event when Jesus bequeathed St. Peters the rule of the heaven and the earth. The founders of the church, identified Panias as the place where "the miracle of bleeding woman" took place. That woman, placed the sculpture of Jesus in front of her home, as a thanksgiving gesture for his healing her. That was, supposedly, the first sculpture of him ever. During the Byzantine Period (4 century A. D., according to the evidence), Panias' nature began to take changes, equivalently to the rise of Christianity. The pagan rite honoring god Pan stopped. The temples were neglected, but the town kept on prospering. New streets were paved in it, and the palace of Agripas II became a public bath house. Upon the Muslim conquest in the 7th Century A.D., Panias declined, and became a village. In the 10th Century A. D., the settlement renewed itself, as a result of the massive Muslim immigration. It was now called Banias. Jews came to live there as well, dividing into two communities: Jerusalemite, and Babylonian. At the time, there was also a major Karaite center. The crusades perceived the Banias area as the natural boundary between their kingdom in Israel, and the Muslim kingdom, centered in Damascus. Banias was considered a strategic point, being located on the road going from Tyre and Sidon, to Damscus. In 1099, as a reprisal to the Crusade conquest of the Galilee, the Muslims fortified the town, as well as Nimrod Castle, located to the east of the town. The town was given to the Isma'ilian cult, after an inner Muslim conflict, the Isma'ilians gave the town away in 1129 to the Crusades. Eventually, the Muslim recaptured the town in 1132. Upon Salah Al Din's victory on the Crusades in Karney Hittin, in 1187, the importance and majorness of Banias declined. The Mamluks further fortified the city, but soon left the castle, and the place was conquered by tough Bedouin Shaikhs. The big city became a small village, existing until IDF conquered the area during the Six Day War, 1967. Pan Temple The Pan Temple was built at the bottom of a cliff, 70m long, 40m tall. Apparently, the cliff is the back wall of a huge cave, whose top collapsed, forming the rocky step, on which were built the temples and courts of rite for Pan. The Tower This structure is a large Syrian house leaning on a Crusade tower (migdal pina). The structure is located near the moat surrounding the town. Excavations site - B In this site, the tracess of a fancy structure, with heart-shaped bases. The building was probably used as a fancy gate (prophila), leading to the holy zone by the cave. The structure is dated to the rule of Philippe. Also discovered in the area: Tracess of a Byzantian church, where the sculpture of Jesus was kept, in one of the rooms. The Cardo The street of columns, crossing the town from north to south, beginning at the northern bank of Sa'ar River, through B Site (Excavation site). The Cardo was built during the time of Philippe and Agripas. The palace of Aripas II Many stones were taken from the structure during the Byzantian period, used for building other structures. Part of the palace became a bath house. Underground passages One of the domes seen in the picture, has not been re-innovated at all since the Roman Times. The road of present time passes above it, which means that one walks underneath the road ascending from the Banias to the Hermon! The erection of the domes is of amazingly high quality. The City of Philippe and Agripas II A public structure was discovered in the site, which was built at the beginning of the first century A. D. The structure, capturing an area more than two thousand m², was one of the biggest and most splendid built in Israel. The structure is located in the midst of a gorgeous spot of nature, between Hermon River and Sa'ar River Canyon, lower than the springs of the Banias. There were a few water canals carrying water from the spring to the public structure. Back to Israel Index