Banias is an archaeological site of the ancient city of Caesarea Philippi, located at the foot of Mount Hermon, north of the Golan Heights. The city was situated in the region known as Panion, sacred to the Greek god Pan.
Herod Philip II, son of Herod the Great, enlarged and enriched the city, naming it Caesarea in honour of Caesar, adding 'Philip' to distinguish it from Caesarea Maritima, a port city on the Mediterranean. Today, Banias is both an archaeological site and a national park.
Recently, they revealed the ancient use of a cave, which until now was believed to be a sacred cave, traditionally linked to the cult of the god Pan.
However, the discovery of an aqueduct that controlled the water level in the cave and architectural remains suggesting a symmetrical design centred on a rock, confirm that the cave was later converted in the late 1st century AD into a luxurious Roman-style banquet hall by Agrippa II, great-grandson of Herod the Great.
According to researchers Adi Erlich and Ron Lavi of the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa, the site was transformed after the Jewish revolt against Rome (66-73 AD). Lavi explained that “the find confirms historical descriptions that some considered exaggerated.”
The Israel Nature and Parks Authority eventually plans to recreate the complex's original appearance as a Roman banquet hall, although the project is still on hold.