Caesarea of Philip
Caesarea Philipi (originally Panias) is situated 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee and at the base of Mt. Hermon, it is the location of one of the largest springs feeding the Jordan River. This abundant water supply has made the area very fertile and attractive for religious worship. Numerous temples were built at this city in the Hellenistic and Roman periods.
The first name associated with the site was "Panias," derived from worship of the god Pan there during the period of Greek control following the conquest by Alexander the Great. (The current name "Banias" is an Arab form of Panias.) Worship of the god Pan was centered at the cave and the spring at the high rock bluff. Several niches carved into the rock are identified as being dedicated "to Pan and the nymphs." Further reinforcing the site’s attraction for worship, Herod the Great built a temple there dedicated to Emperor Augustus, who had given him the town.
