The Areopagus, also called Mars Hill, is the exposed rock in the bottom left corner of the picture above. It was located west of the Acropolis, and in ancient Athens, a council would have met on this hill. By the time of Paul’s visit, the council of the Areopagus was in charge of maintaining religious customs and order. Therefore, it would be appropriate for Paul to make his defense before this council.

Although this altar either no longer exists or hasn't been discovered yet, archeologists have discovered that there were altars to unknown gods (plural) in the ancient world and that they were especially known to have existed in Athens.

Approx. 25,000 People in Paul's Day
Athens was named for the Greek goddess Athena, whose world-renowned temple, the Parthenon, stood on top of the Acropolis in the heart of town. At the time of Paul’s visit, Athens was a free city within the Roman Empire but was still a close ally of Rome. Athens had passed its prime but remained a leading center of learning and politics.

Click the map to explore when Paul visited the city of Athens and the other key locations in the book of Acts.