Lecture Summaries: 14 April, 2004

Back to PEF Main Pages

Rediscovering Caesarea Philippi, The ancient City of Pan
by
John Wilson
Director of the Institute for the Study of Archaeology & Religion, Pepperdine University

Ancient Caesarea Philippi, now known as Banias (from the Greek “Paneas”) is situated at the northern edge of the Golan Heights, close to the borders of Lebanon and Syria.The site is probably best known because of the account in the Gospels of a visit by Jesus and his disciples (Mark 8; Matthew 16).The city was the capital of a region controlled for over a century by the family of the Jewish king Herod the Great. Herod built a temple to Augustus near a famous cave at the foot of Mount Hermon above the great springs that form a major source of the Jordan River. Excavations and scientific surveys have been conducted at the site since the 1980’s, sponsored by the Israel Antiquities Authority and various universities in the United States, Greece, and elsewhere.

Although the Augusteum of Herod has not definitely been located, the magnificent cult center to the god Pan, situated beside the cave and springs, has been extensively excavated, revealing a series of temples and altars. Though Pan worship at the site dates far back to the Hellenistic Period or earlier, the site became a major center for the worship of Pan during the 2nd and 3rd Centuries AD.

In 1988 a consortium of universities, led by Pepperdine University in California, in association with the Israeli Antiquities Authority, began excavations in the city center, a few hundred metres south of the cave. Here a remarkable structure was discovered, exhibiting the finest architectural and engineering skill of the early Roman Empire. The building is now thought to be the palace of Herod Agrippa II. In the 2nd Century, when the Herodian Dynasty had ended and the city had become no more than a provincial center within the Province of Syria, the palace was transformed into a huge public bathhouse.

Eventually Christianity became the dominant religion in Banias-Caesarea Philippi and the Pan Sanctuary fell out of use. A large basilica, probably the cathedral church of the area, was constructed in the city center in the 4th or early 5th century, using elements of earlier pagan. The Joint Expedition excavated this building, as well as a Byzantine shopping street, where many important artifacts where found.

After the Arab conquest in the 7th Century Banias became first a market town and then a fort. During the Crusades it was the site of several important battles, and was held for a while by Crusader forces. Recent excavations and surveys have revealed much about the nature of the medieval city. The site fell into obscurity until it was rediscovered in the early 19th Century by European adventurers. They found a small Syrian village among the ancient ruins, literally built on top of the ancient royal palace.