It’s not much to look at … a rocky nub overshadowed by its far more imposing and famous neighbor, the Acropolis. There aren’t any ancient ruins that grace the site.

But you don’t come to the Areopagus to see … you come to hear. There are dozens of stories that crowd this lonely rock, stories about gods and heroes and apostles. There may not be a spot in Athens (or the world, for that matter) where more important events, involving more important people, at more important points in history took place. The Areopagus is poor in sights and rich in significance.

It was here that Ares defended himself against murder charges. A son of Poseidon attempted to rape the daughter of Ares. When Ares intervened and killed the boy, Poseidon wanted justice (or revenge). The Olympian gods gathered here to judge the matter and, eventually, set Ares free. From that point on, the Areopagus became the site where all capital cases—murder, treason, heresy—were tried.

Xerxes pitched his command tent on this site during the Persians’ occupation of Athens. From this vantage point, Xerxes watched his soldiers tear the city apart. Here, the high-class and highly-paid prostitute Phryne, about to be convicted of blasphemy, stood and dropped her robe. So smitten was the jury with her beauty, they immediately pronounced her innocent (of blasphemy anyway!).

And it was here that the Apostle Paul stood before the learned men of Athens and proclaimed—in the shadow of the Acropolis—that God did not live in temples and was not tended to by human hands. They listened closely until he talked about resurrection from the dead, at which point they lost interest. Not an uncommon reaction throughout the centuries.

If you visit this site without knowing the stories, you will be disappointed. But with a little imagination and an understanding of the events that transpired here, the Areopagus could just become your favorite spot in Athens.