BCE during the reign of Eshmunazar II, and later additions were made up into the Roman period. It was excavated by Maurice Dunand in 1963-1978. Many votive offerings were found in the form of statues of persons healed by the god, especially babies and young children. Also found near the Sidon temple was a gold plaque of Eshmun and the goddess Hygeia (meaning "Health") showing Eshmun holding a staff in his right hand around which a serpent is entwined. A coin of the 3rd century CE from Beirut shows Eshmun standing between two serpents. Bterram, a village in Lebanon, possesses a very old underground temple called Eshmunit, comprising eight rooms (one large and seven small), carved into the bedrock and accessible by stairs. It is thought this may be a temple to a spouse of Eshmun. See also Delos References Bibliography . . . External links Temple of Eshmun near Sidon Lebmania: Eshmoun Atlas Tours: Lebanon: Eshmun Ikama: Eshmoun Bterram: Eshmunit (On the temple of Eshmunit in Bterram.) West Semitic gods Tutelary deities Health gods Phoenician mythology Temple of Eshmun