▁ancient ▁literature ▁to ▁" numer ous " ▁tem ples ▁of ▁Herm es , ▁this ▁may ▁be ▁po etic ▁license ▁describing ▁the ▁u bi quit ous ▁herm s , ▁or ▁other , ▁smaller ▁shr ines ▁to ▁Herm es ▁located ▁in ▁the ▁tem ples ▁of ▁other ▁de ities . ▁One ▁of ▁the ▁oldest ▁places ▁of ▁worship ▁for ▁Herm es ▁was ▁Mount ▁Cy ll ene ▁in ▁Arc ad ia , ▁where ▁some ▁myth s ▁say ▁he ▁was ▁born . ▁Trad ition ▁holds ▁that ▁his ▁first ▁temple ▁was ▁built ▁by ▁Ly ca on . ▁From ▁there , ▁the ▁Herm es ▁cult ▁would ▁have ▁been ▁taken ▁to ▁Ath ens , ▁from ▁which ▁it ▁radi ated ▁to ▁the ▁whole ▁of ▁Greece . ▁In ▁the ▁Roman ▁period , ▁additional ▁tem ples ▁to ▁Herm es ▁( Mer cur y ) ▁were ▁constructed ▁across ▁the ▁Empire , ▁including ▁several ▁in ▁modern - day ▁Tun is ia . ▁Mercur y ' s ▁temple ▁in ▁Rome ▁was ▁situated ▁in ▁the ▁Circ us ▁Maxim us , ▁between ▁the ▁A vent ine ▁and ▁Pal at ine ▁hills , ▁and ▁was ▁built ▁in ▁ 4 9 5 ▁BC . ▁ ▁In ▁most ▁places , ▁tem ples ▁were ▁consec r ated ▁to ▁Herm es ▁in ▁conj unction ▁with ▁A ph rod ite , ▁as ▁in ▁Att ica , ▁Arc ad ia , ▁Cre te , ▁Sam os ▁and ▁in ▁Mag na ▁Gra ec ia . ▁Several ▁ex - v otos ▁found ▁in ▁his ▁tem ples ▁revealed ▁his ▁role ▁as ▁initi ator ▁of ▁young ▁ad ul th ood ,