Areopagus

In pre-classical times (before the 5th century BC), the Areopagus may have been a council of elders for the city of Athens, with membership restricted by constitutional conventions to those who had held high public office, in this case that of Archon.

Aristotle suggests that Solon confirmed its competence over cases of treason (eisangelia, εἰσαγγελία) and its guardianship of the laws (nomophylakia, νομοφυλακία).

[8] Cleisthenes significantly influenced the Areopagus by establishing the Council of Five Hundred and implementing ostracism, which reduced aristocratic power and encouraged citizen involvement in governance.

[10] Nevertheless, over the course of the 5th century BC, the Areopagus Council did lose its competence over eisangelia and dokimasia (δοκιμασία), the initial examination of those elected into office, though it is unknown if this was because of Ephialtes.

While this is a dramatization of the trials that would have taken place at the Areopagus, it is the only surviving tragedy that most closely resembles what Athenian citizens would recognize as a judicial proceeding.

[12] Phryne, a hetaera of the 4th century BC who was famed for her beauty, appeared before the Areopagus Court accused of profaning the Eleusinian mysteries.

[13] In the second half of the 4th century BC, the Areopagus Court grew in influence and political power, and contributed to the anti-Macedonian faction in Athens.

[20] The term "Areopagus" also refers to the judicial body of aristocratic origin that subsequently formed the higher court of modern Greece.