Aeropagus
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Aeropagus is a relatively low rocky hummock situated on the west side of the Acropolis with steep steps leading up to it, chiselled on the south-eastern side of the hill. Its name makes it fairly obvious that it was dedicated to Ares, the god of war, or to the Erinyes (Furies), the ghastly deities of revenge. This was also a place of worship dedicated to the cult of Boreas and the Amazons, Ares’ daughters. During the Archaic period the legislative and judicial council of the aristocracy decided to assume the name of Aeropagus and it is quite possible that they used the hill as meeting grounds as well. However there are no ruins left to verify this assumption. The surface of the hill is uneven and completely unsuitable for any kind of monumental construction. The only thing that remains standing on the plateau of the rocky hummock is a big boulder in the shape of an altar that is assumed to have been dedicated to Athena. There must have been more than one cult established up there, which is very common with all of the hills surrounding the Acropolis.
Today most people associate the Aeropagus with Christian worship rather than ancient religious practices because, according to the Acts of the Apostles, this is where the Athenians led the apostle Paul to do his preaching in 54 A.D. His success was questionable because his audience was more used to hearing philosophers and orators rather than people preaching the ways of the Lord. According to the Gospel some were sneering while others wanted to hear more. Nevertheless, he managed to convert two Athenians, Dionysios Areopagitis and a woman called Damaris, who became the first Christians in the city.