This article concerns the Classical judicial body. For the 16th century literary movement, see Areopagus (poetry). The Areopagus is a speculated or hinted poetry movement centered around Edmund Spenser and Gabriel Harvey. ...

The Areopagus or Areios Pagos is the 'Hill of Ares', north-west of the Acropolis, which in classical times functioned as the chief homicide court of Athens. Ares was supposed to have been tried here by the Gods for the murder of Poseidon's son Alirrothios: a typical example of an aetiological myth. In The Eumenides of Aeschylus (458), the Areopagus is the site of the trial of Orestes for killing his mother and her lover, Clytemnestra and Aegisthus; In Greek mythology, Ares (battle strife; in Greek, ????)[1] is the god of war and son of Zeus (king of the gods) and Hera. ... The Acropolis of Athens, seen from the hill of the Pnyx to the west. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína IPA: ) is the capital of Greece and one of the most famous cities in the world, named after goddess Athena. ... Greek mythological characters (Most of the gods and goddesses had Roman equivalents. ... Neptune reigns in the city centre, Bristol, formerly the largest port in England outside London. ... Etiology (alternately aetiology, aitiology) is the study of causation. ... The Oresteia is a trilogy of tragedies about the end of the curse on the House of Atreus, written by Aeschylus. ... Aeschylus This article is about the ancient Greek playwright. ... The Remorse of Orestes by William-Adolphe Bouguereau For other uses, see Orestes (disambiguation). ... Clytemnestra (Greek: Κλυταιμνήστρα Klytaimnéstra, praiseworthy wooing) was the wife of Agamemnon, king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Mycenae or Argos. ... In Greek mythology, Aegisthus (goat strength, also transliterated as Aegisthos or Aigísthos) was the son of Thyestes and his daughter, Pelopia. ...

The origin of its name is not clear. In Greek, pagos means big piece of rock. Areios could have come from Ares (Latin Mars), the Greek god of war, or from the Erinyes (Furies). On its foot was erected a temple dedicated to the Erinyes where murderers used to find shelter so as not to face the consequences of their actions. Near the Areopagus was also constructed the basilica of Dionysius Areopagites. In Greek mythology, Ares (battle strife; in Greek, ????)[1] is the god of war and son of Zeus (king of the gods) and Hera. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Mars was the Roman god of war, the son of Juno and a magical flower (or Jupiter). ... // Greek mythology consists in part in a large collection of narratives that explain the origins of the world and detail the lives and adventures of a wide variety of gods, goddesses, heroes, and heroines. ... In Greek mythology the Erinyes or Eumenides (the Romans called them the Furies) were female personifications of vengeance. ... Dionysius the Areopagite was the judge of the Areopagus who, as related in Acts, xvii, 34, was converted to Christianity by the preaching of Saint Paul. ...

In pre-classical times (before the 5th century BC), the Areopagus was the council of elders of the city, like the Roman Senate. Like the Senate, its membership was restricted to those who had held high public office, in this case that of Archon. In 462 BC, Ephialtes put through reforms which deprived the Areopagus of almost all its functions in favor of Heliaia except that of a murder tribunal. (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 5th century BC started on January 1, 500 BC and ended on December 31, 401 BC. // Overview The Parthenon of Athens seen from the hill of the Pnyx to the west. ... The Roman Senate (Latin, Senatus) was a deliberative body which was important in the government of both the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. ... Look up Archon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Centuries: 4th century BC - 5th century BC - 6th century BC Decades: 510s BC 500s BC 490s BC 480s BC 470s BC - 460s BC - 450s BC 440s BC 430s BC 420s BC 410s BC Years: 467 BC 466 BC 465 BC 464 BC 463 BC - 462 BC - 461 BC 460 BC... See the Aloadae article for information about the giant Ephialtes of Greek mythology For Ephialtes, the prominent Athenian politician see Ephialtes of Athens Ephialtes (Greek: ) was the son of Eurydemus of Malis. ... Heliaia ( Greek: ἡλιαία) or Halia ( Greek: ἁλία) was the supreme court of ancient Athens. ...

In an unusual development, the Areopagus acquired a new function in the 4th century BC, investigating corruption, although conviction powers remained with the Ecclesia. (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 4th century BC started on January 1, 400 BC and ended on December 31, 301 BC. // Overview Events Bust of Alexander the Great in the British Museum. ... The ecclesia or ekklesia (Greek έκκλησία) was the principal assembly of the democracy of ancient Athens. ...

The Areopagus, like most city-state institutions, continued to function in Roman times, and it was at that location that the Apostle Paul delivered the famous 'What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you' speech, after seeing an altar 'to the Unknown God'. For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... A 19th century picture of Paul of Tarsus Paul of Tarsus (originally Saul of Tarsus) or Saint Paul the Apostle (fl. ... In addition to the twelve main Gods and the innumerable lesser deities, ancient Greeks used to worship an Unknown God (spelled Agnostos Theos in Greek). ...

The term "Areopagus" also refers to the judicial body of aristocratic origin, the power of which was enhanced by Solon, or the higher court of Greece. Solon Solon (Greek: Σόλων, ca. ...

External Links

• Acts 17:16-34 A Biblical account of St. Paul discussing with the Areopagus the nature of the Christian God. Also referred to as the story concerning the altar to "The Unknown God." See also: Agnostics.