Areopagus
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Areopagus. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
the name of a hill or rocky eminence lying to the W. of the Acropolis at Athens, which was the meeting-place of the chief court of judicature of that city; hence called the Council of Areopagus. It was of very high antiquity, and existed as a criminal tribunal long before the time of Solon, who enlarged its sphere of jurisdiction. As a court of justice, it took cognizance of capital crimes, as murder, arson, etc.; and it also exercised a certain control over the ordinary courts. Its censorial duties were of a very extensive and inquisitorial ial nature, for the preservation of order and decency. Religion also came within its jurisdiction, which punished impiety in whatsoever form. Pericles succeeded in greatly diminishing the ed it of power of this council, and deprived many of its old prerogatives.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
in ancient Athens, a venerable council of wise men, taking its name from a hill on which it was wont to meet. Its meetings were held in the open air. It appears originally to have been a meeting of petty chieftains, or clan elders. At its best, it appears to have had a well filled treasury and to have been a sort of supreme court, exercising power of life and death, and having authority to guard the morals of Attica. Its functions and membership were amended by Solon. It gradually declined in importance. See Athens 2026 Editor's Note: The Areopagus is remembered for two later moments: St Paul preached his sermon on the 'unknown god' from this hill (Acts 17), and Milton borrowed its name for Areopagitica , his 1644 defense of free speech and against censorship — still one of the classic arguments for a free press. The rocky outcrop still stands below the Acropolis . (Ed: BR 2026-06-23)