First Temple

View looking northeast at the southwest corner of the First of the two Temples built at Omrit.

Just left of the center of the image the southwest corner of the First Temple and the first course of stones is visible.  Notice the carved molding!  (the Hellenistic Shrine is actually INSIDE of this temple—see the sandbags above the center of the image) 

The excavators believe that this First Temple was built by Herod the Great (37–4 B.C.) to honor the Roman Emperor Augustus.  Three such imperial temples were built: one at Caesarea Maritima, one at Sebastia, and one near Panias/Caesarea Philippi [= this one!].

On the first course of stones a piece of the plastered fresco is visible.

The hewn stones on the right (south) side of the image are part of the foundation wall of the Second Temple—built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian (117–138 A.D.).

Note carefully the fill between the two temples—the dark mixture of basalt and limestone stones—just right of the center of the image.