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The Areopagus () is a prominent rock located northwest of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. Its English name is the Late Latin composite form of the Greek name Areios Pagos, translated "Hill of Ares" (). The name Areopagus also referred, in classical times, to the Athenian governing council, later restricted to the Athenian judicial council or court that tried cases of deliberate homicide, wounding, and religious matters, as well as cases involving arson of olive trees, because they convened in this location. The war god Ares was supposed to have been tried by the other Greek gods on the Areopagus for the murder of Poseidon's son Halirrhothius (a typical example of an origin myth myth).
In 594 BC, the Areopagus Council was heavily restructured by Solon, as was the rest of the Athenian state apparatus. Aristotle suggests that Solon confirmed its competence over cases of treason ( eisangelia, εἰσαγγελία) and its guardianship of the laws ( nomophylakia, νομοφυλακία).Arist. Ath. Pol. 8.4. Solon's entrusting of the nomophylakia to the Areopagus Council may imply that the council was invested with maintaining the stability of his reforms after he left Athens.Irwin, Amber L. “The History of the Areopagos Council from Its Origins to Ephialtes.” M.A., McGill University (Canada), 2011. 57.
Under the reforms of Cleisthenes, enacted in 508/507 BC, the Boule (βουλή) or council was expanded from 400 to 500 men, and was formed of 50 men from each of the ten clans or phylai (φυλαί) of Attica. There is very little evidence to suggest that Cleisthenes may have altered the composition or the jurisdiction of the Areopagus Council, given that he himself was likely a council member.Wallace, Robert W. The Areopagos Council, to 307 B.C. First Edition. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1989. 72-73.
Cleisthenes significantly influenced the Areopagus by establishing the Council of Five Hundred and implementing ostracism, which reduced aristocratic power and encouraged citizen involvement in governance. These reforms transformed the Areopagus into a judicial body, emphasizing justice within the democratic framework. By organizing citizens into demes, Cleisthenes further ensured broader representation, solidifying the Areopagus's role in Athenian democracy.
In 462/461 BC, Ephialtes may have put through reforms which deprived the Areopagus Council of almost all its functions — except that of a murder tribunal — in favour of the Heliaia. While this perception is corroborated by most ancient authors, it may have merely been a retrojection by those writing long after the 5th century BC. This is because there is little evidence to suggest that the Areopagus Council had done anything of note to warrant an attack on its powers by the time of Ephialtes.Rihll, T. E., "Democracy Denied: Why Ephialtes Attacked the Areiopagus". The Journal of Hellenic Studies 115 (1995): 87–98. Nevertheless, over the course of the 5th century BC, the Areopagus Council did lose its competence over eisangelia and dokimasia (δοκιμασία), the initial examination of those elected into office, though it is unknown if this was because of Ephialtes.Irwin, Amber L. "The History of the Areopagos Council from Its Origins to Ephialtes". M.A., McGill University (Canada), 2011. 52.
In The Eumenides of Aeschylus (458 BC), the Areopagus is the site of the trial of Orestes for killing his mother (Clytemnestra) and her lover (Aegisthus). While this is a dramatization of the trials that would have taken place at the Areopagus, it is the only surviving tragedy that most closely resembles what Athenian citizens would recognize as a judicial proceeding. Most general happenings are the same but with a unique twist, such as the presiding officer being the goddess Athena and all prosecutors being female and divine as well. Although, one notable inconsistency in this drama is that, in the fifth-century, Orestes would not have been tried at the Areopagus council since he was claiming to have killed his mother 'with justice' rather than asserting that he had not killed her. A case of this nature would instead come before the ephetai at the Delphinium.
Phryne, a hetaera of the 4th century BC who was famed for her beauty, appeared before the Areopagus Court accused of profaning the Eleusinian mysteries. One story has her letting her cloak drop and so impressing the judges with her almost divine form that she was summarily acquitted.(Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae, XIII.590)
In the second half of the 4th century BC, the Areopagus Court grew in influence and political power, and contributed to the anti-Macedonian faction in Athens. It conducted an investigation on charges of treason and bribery ( apophasis, ἀπόφασις) against Demosthenes as a result of the Harpalus in 324 BC. At the same time, the Areopagus as an institution may have also regained power over the nomophylakia, which had been lost to reforms in the 5th century BC.Mossé, Claude. Athens in Decline: 404-86 B.C. Routledge, 2014. 78-79.
The Areopagus Council continued to function as a body of former archons in Roman Empire times. After Sulla's capture of Athens in 86/87 BC and subsequent restructuring of the city's political structure, it was elevated to one of the most prestigious and politically powerful institutions in Athens. The Roman statesman Cicero once said of the council, "when one says 'the Athenian state is ruled by the council,' the words 'of the Areopagus' are omitted."Cicero. De Natura Deorum. 2.74
Acts 17:16-34 prominently features the Areopagus as the setting for the Apostle Paul's Areopagus sermon during his visit to Athens, notably leading to the conversion of Dionysius the Areopagite. Acts 17:16-34 However, it is unclear whether Paul gave his speech before the Areopagus Council in the setting of a judicial investigation or trial, or on the physical location of the Areopagus hill as an informal speech. The Areopagus Council likely would not have met on the actual Areopagus hill by the time of Paul's visit, but rather in the agora or in the Stoa Basileios.Bruce, F.F. The Acts of the Apostles. The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary. 2nd Ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1952). 335.
The Areopagus had ceased operation as a political council by at least the early 5th century AD, according to Theodoret.Theodoret. Theodoret of Cyrus: A Cure for Pagan Maladies. Translated by Thomas P. Ancient Christian Writers; Halton. No. 67. New York: Newman Press, 2013. 9.18.
After the closure of the Council, the Areopagus hill was occupied by various houses and dwellings while under Byzantine Empire. Buildings of note on the hill during this time included a church and monastery, both dedicated to Dionysius the Areopagite.Bouras, Charalampos. Byzantine Athens, 10th-12th Centuries. Routledge, 2017. 188.
The term "Areopagus" also refers to the judicial body of aristocratic origin that subsequently formed the higher court of modern Greece.
Near the Areopagus was also constructed in the mid-19th century AD by the Roman Catholic Church the Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius the Areopagite.
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