his area is punctuated by the hills of the Areopagus, Pnyx and Filopappou. Rock-hewn stairs ascend the hill of the Areopagus (the hill of Mars) just below the entrance to the Acropolis. Areopagus was the site of the Council of Nobles and the Judicial Court under the aristocratic rule of ancient Athens. During the Classical period the court lost its powers of government to the Assembly but it remained the court of criminal justice. Areopagus is also the place where Apostle Paul came to proclaim the Christianity in 54 AD. Apostle Paul preached the "Sermon on an Unknown God", winning amongst his converts Dionysious "the Areopagite", who became the city's patron saint.

		pposite the small grove of the Areopagus, and alongside Apostle Paul Street between the hills of the Muses and the Nymphs, is the Pnyx hill, with an enormous man-made semicircular flat space with a speaker's platform for orators, on top. For the ancient Athenians the Pnyx was what the parliament of a country is today. Athenians called this "parliament" the "Assembly of the Deme". Here the great orators delivered their speeches.
The institutions needed for their democratic governing of a people were born and developed on the Pnyx. Today international events which have to do with democracy, in all its aspects, are held on the hill of the Pnyx. The arena is also used today for the son-et-lumiere of the Acropolis.

pposite the Acropolis and west of the gate, is the small hill of Philopappou, a verdant place with pathways, perfect for a stroll. The hill took its name from the funeral monument that was erected there on its peak in 119 AD, in memory of the Gaius Julius Antiochos Philopappos. Philopappos was a Roman monarch from Syria. He was a great benefactor of the town of Athens during that time. This was a sacred hill in ancient Athens. The monument was dedicated to the Muses and called the Museion. It was a square building 10 m. high, were the statues of the family of Philopappos and himself. The view from up here is spectacular, both toward the Acropolis and toward the Saronic Gulf. Going up Dionysious the Areopagite Street you encounter right at the start of the flagstone street leading into Philopappou, the small Byzantine chapel of Saint Demetrius Loumbardiaris.

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Photos and informations taken from "Athens - Attica" (Toubis Editions) (C)Copyright for the Web: Greekislands.com