Here ancient Greek gods, chosen aristocrats and mere mortals made history. Who knows, maybe you too can change the fate of the world from the top of this hill?
The area inside the city of Athens is full of hills. Here Lycavitos shines with its snow-white peak, here the Acropolis preserves its ancient history, and here the Areopagus looks up to the heavens with its sloping plateau. This hill stands very close to the ancient Acropolis and, like the latter, is steeped in legend and lore. The hill of Areopagus was named by the Athenians after Ares, the god of war, for two stories.
It is said that the brave Amazons, who once laid siege to Athens, made camp here, on the plateau of Areopagus. And so that Ares himself was at their side in the battle, the warlike maidens offered their bloody sacrifices to him. Surprisingly, it was this hill that later became a landmark also for the god of war himself. On the plateau of the Areopagus, Ares was condemned for shedding the blood of Gallirophius, the son of Poseidon. But as it turned out, this blood was not spilled innocently, so with the help of Athena, Ares was vindicated.
But it was not only on the hill of Ares that the divine work was done. Just like the gods of antiquity, the Council of Elders, Athenian archons, who had the power to decide the destinies of men, assembled here. This council was popularly known by the same name as the hill on which it met: Areopagus. The Areopagus was involved in all matters of political life in Athens. When the democratically minded Ephialtes came to power, the Areopagus lost some of its political power but was still involved in all judicial matters.
There was another significant event on the hill of Ares. Once again, when the council in ancient Athens was meeting on the time-honoured plateau of the Areopagus, a man climbed the stone steps to the top of the hill. The short speech he made a few years later changed the whole course of Greek history. For this man was the apostle Paul, and his sermon was one of the most passionate speeches ever delivered at the Areopagus. The words of the apostle can still be read on the hill of Ares, for they are engraved on a tablet nailed to the rock. At that time Paul's speech reached the hearts of only three people: the archon Dionysius, the elder Hierotheus, and the woman Damaris. But how powerful were these three who heard, for over the centuries Greece has become a country glorifying Christ!
Even today, the hill of Ares attracts pilgrims who want to touch the ancient history of Christianity and hear the eloquent speech of the apostle through the fog of centuries. People far from religion will also find it interesting. There are no less picturesque views of Athens from the hill than from the top of the nearby Acropolis. And the fact that Ares, Athena and other celestials stepped on the plateau of the Areopagus adds mystique to every visit to this place.
