1. Which Greek god was the Areopagus named after?
   1. The god of music and reason
   2. The god of war
   3. The god of fire and forge
   4. The god of wine and revel
2. What ancient site was in clear view from the Areopagus?
   1. The Arch of Hadrian
   2. The Temple of Olympian Zeus
   3. The agora
   4. The Theater of Dionysus
3. Who served on the Areopagus Council?
   1. Past archons of Athens
   2. Victorious generals
   3. Influential philosophers
   4. Successful merchants
4. How did Phryne, the famous courtesan, finally prove her innocence on charges of blasphemy to the Areopagus Council?
   1. She dropped her robe and showed her flawless physical beauty
   2. She hired the best available speaker to make her case
   3. She bribed the jury
   4. She proved nothing. In fact, she was found guilty.
5. Who was the man tried at the Areopagus for matricide?
   1. Agamemnon
   2. Oedipus
   3. Pericles
   4. Orestes
6. What made the wise men of the Areopagus Council finally stop listening to the Apostle Paul?
   1. The claim of one god–monotheism
   2. The story of a crucified god
   3. The claim of resurrection
   4. The demand to sell all and give to the poor
7. What Persian king pitched his command tent on the Areopagus?
   1. Xerxes
   2. Darius
   3. Cyrus
   4. Artaxerxes
8. What kind of trials were reserved for the Areopagus Council?
   1. Financial—concerning the revenues of the city
   2. Capital—involving the death penalty
   3. Ostracism—trials resulting in exile and confiscation of property
   4. None of the above
9. What famous building sits atop the Areopagus?
   1. The Temple of Athena Nike
   2. The Temple of Olympian Zeus
   3. The Bouleuterion
   4. There are no ruins on the Areopagus
10. In our own day, what Greek institution bears the name “Areopagus”?
    1. The Greek Parliament
    2. The Greek police force
    3. The Greek supreme court
    4. The foreign service of Greece

1) b
Ares. The god of war and violence was not a popular deity with the ancient Greeks. No Greek cities took Ares as its patron god, for instance. The fact that this place is named after Ares is due to a myth that places Ares on top of this hill, defending himself against charges of murder. According to the story, a son of Poseidon attempted to rape a daughter of Ares. Ares killed the brute and Poseidon demanded that he stand trial for it. So the Olympian gods gathered here to listen to Ares’ defense. This first murder trial resulted in Ares’ acquittal. And, forever after, the hill bore Ares’ name and served as the site where capital trials were heard in Athens.

2) c
The agora stretches out below the Areopagus, to the north. In fact, tiered seating allowed members of the Areopagus Council to look out over the agora as they listened to speakers and adjudicated at trials. Hadrian’s Arch, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, and the Theater of Dionysus are all hidden from view by the bulk of the Acropolis.

3) a
Each year, Athenians elected a slate of “archons” (or rulers) who oversaw the political, financial, logistical, and judicial business of the city. As archons finished their year of service, their record was carefully examined for any hint of impropriety. If such was found, they were brought to trial. If, on the other hand, they had ruled well and honestly, they were inducted to the Areopagus Council for life.

4) a
According to the ancient sources that recount this trial, Phryne’s trial was going badly. She was about to be found guilty of blabbing the Eleusian Mysteries. Some accounts tell us that Phryne’s advocate, in a desperate attempt to sway the jury, disrobed her and won the jury with the sight of her magnificent body. Other accounts indicate that Phryne took this measure herself. In their defense, it should be noted that ancients often saw physical beauty and perfection as a sign of the gods’ blessing and favor. How could someone so favored by the gods do something so offensive to them?

5) d
Orestes. Agamemnon (his father) was king of Mycenae and the leader of the Greek forces fighting the Trojans. Finally, after ten long years, Agamemnon and the Greeks prevailed and the weary king returned home. In his absence, however, his wife (Clytemnestra) had taken a lover and determined to be rid of her inconvenient husband. According to legend, Clytemnestra killed Agamemnon as he was bathing, washing away the dirt of the road. Orestes revenged himself by killing his mother and her insignificant other.

6) c
There were several ideas in Paul’s speech that could have given offense to members of the Council: the idea of one God; the rejection of idolatry (which Paul calls “ignorance”). But they took it all remarkably well … until Paul mentioned resurrection from the dead. At that point, some sneered and others procrastinated (“We want to hear you again on this subject”). But it was resurrection which brought Paul’s Areopagus speech to a screeching halt.

7) a
Xerxes was the king who led the Persian forces during the invasion of Greece in 480 b.c. His father, Darius, had attempted a smaller campaign ten years prior (490 b.c., at Marathon). His son, Artaxerxes, inherited the throne later. All four of these kings, by the way, are mentioned in the Bible. At no other point does Greek and Biblical history so overlap.

8 ) b
The Areopagus heard capital trials primarily—those involving the death penalty. Accusations of murder, treason, or blasphemy were the particular spheres of Areopagus responsibility.

9) d
There are no ruins presently standing on the Areopagus. There is evidence of a Thesseon that stood on the eastern end of the Areopagus. And in ancient times, a series of tiered wooden seats faced out over the agora—the Council sat and heard cases while overlooking their city. It is said that you can still see the cuts in the Areopagus rock that held the posts for these tiers. I’ve never been able to make them out myself, but …

10) c
Today, the Supreme Court of Greece is called the Areopagus, an interesting nod to ancient times.