In the Greco-Roman city of Hippos in Israel, near Lake Tiberias, a 1.8 m tall Roman gate was discovered next to a stone structure in 2016.
Some time ago, a bronze mask was found in the building, showing a half-human, half-goat – the god Pan. He was the Greek god of forests and fields, guarding the shepherds and their flocks. In the Roman pantheon of gods, the Lord was identified with Faun (Faunus) or with the god of forests Silvanus.
The mask indicates that the building could have a sacred character, and the gate led, for example, to a temple. The worship of the Lord sometimes included ceremonies where wine was drunk, sacrifices were made, and ecstatic rituals were performed involving nudity and sex. These types of festivals took place outside the city walls, sometimes in caves or other natural locations.
The stone building was built according to researchers’ estimates during Hadrian’s reign, i.e. in the years 117-138 CE.
