Part 9 - Pre-Christmas crawling ride to the Cave of Pan at Daphni

Pre-Christmas crawling ride with good friends to the Cave of Pan in Daphni, in Athens Greece.
About the Cave of Pan:
The Cave of Pan in Daphni is located at the foot of Mount Poikilos, behind the Monastery of Daphni and dates back to the 5th century BC. It was discovered by Dimitrios Kambouroglou shortly after 1890, during the research he did for the Ancient Sacred Way. However, its excavation was carried out in 1932 by Ioannis Travlos. The cave was used for worship in ancient times with ritual burning of offerings on pyres and sacrifices of small animals. The worshipped deity according to Ioannis Travlos, who excavated the cave and based on the findings, was the god Pan. Many caves in the wider region of Attica were dedicated to Pan, as he was worshipped mainly in remote places by travelers who sought his protection during their travels. The cave's cultic purpose probably did not continue after the 5th century BC, as there are no finds that testify to its further use. However, it is believed that during the Byzantine period the cave was inhabited for a short period by ascetics and during the period of the Ottoman occupation it was used as a stable.