Areopagus was the oldest of the Athenian courts of justice, an assembly having a position indeed more august than an ordinary court, and in its best days exercising a general supervision over public morals. It obtained its name from its place of meeting, on the Hill of Ares, near the Acropolis or citadel of Athens. It existed from very remote times, and the crimes tried before it were wilful murder, poisoning, robbery, and arson, while it had under its control also dissoluteness of morals, and innovations in the state and in religion. Its meetings were held in the open air, and its members were selected from those who had held the office of archon. The tribunal latterly lost much of its powers, but it continued to exist in name at least as late as the time of Cicero or later, having had an existence of seven or eight hundred years. Research Areopagus
Ares was the Greek god of storms and tempests. He was a son of Zeus and Hera. He became symbolic with storms and turmoil in human relationships and hence to being the god of war. The Romans called him Mars. Research Ares
Athena, or Athene was a Greek goddess, identified by the Romans with Minerva, the representative of the intellectual powers. She was the daughter of Zeus and Metis (that is, wisdom or cleverness). According to the legend, which is perhaps allegorical, before her birth Zeus swallowed her mother, and Athena afterwards sprang from the head of Zeus with a mighty war shout and in complete armour. In her character of a wise and prudent warrior she was contrasted with the fierce Ares. In the wars of the giants she slew Pallas and Enceladus. In the wars of the mortals she aided and protected heroes. She is also represented as the patroness of the arts of peace. The sculptor, the architect, and the painter, as well as the philosopher, the orator, and the poet, considered her their tutelar deity. She is also represented among the healing gods. In all these representations she is the symbol of the thinking faculty, the goddess of wisdom, science, and art; the latter, however, only in so far as invention and thought are comprehended. In the images of the goddess a manlygravity and an air of reflection are united with female beauty in her features. As a warrior she is represented completely armed, her head covered with a gold helmet. As the goddess of peaceful arts she appears in the dress of a Grecian matron. To her insignia belong the AEgis, the Gorgon's head, the round Argive buckler; and the owl, the cock, the serpent, an olive branch, and a lance were sacred to her. All Attica, but particularly Athens, was sacred to her, and she had numerous temples there. Her most brilliant festival at Athens was the Panathenaea. Research Athena
In Greek mythology Diomedes was a king of the Bistones, who fed his horses on human flesh, and used to throw all strangers who entered his territories to those animals to be devoured. He was killed by Hercules, who carried off the horses.
In Greek mythology Diomedes was one of the heroes at the siege of Troy, the son of Tydeus and Deipyle, and king of Argos, one of the suitors of Helen. After she was carried off Diomedes engaged in the expedition against Troy, in which his courage and the protection of Pallas rendered him one of the most distinguished heroes. He wounded Aphrodite and Ares, and thrice assailed Apollo; and by carrying off the horses of Rhoesus from the enemies' tents, and aiding Ulysses in the removal of Philoctetes from Lenmos, he fulfilled two of the conditions on which alone Troy could be conquered. Finally he was one of the heroes concealed in the wooden horse by whom the capture of Troy was at length accomplished. Different accounts were given of his after-life. He is often called Diomede. Research Diomedes
Eros was the Greek god of sexual love (traditionally of homosexual relationships between older men and youths). By some accounts Eros was born from Chaos, in other accounts that he was the son of Aphrodite and her lover Ares. Eros developed in form through time, being a god of fertility and later with the Romans, in the form of Cupid, of more gentle romantic love Research Eros
The Golden Fleece was the fleece of the ram on which Phrixus had escaped and was given to Aetes the king of Colchis. It hung from an oak tree in the grove of Ares where a dragon guarded it. Research Golden fleece
In Greek and Roman mythology, Hercules (called by the Greeks Heracles) was the most celebrated hero or semi-divine personage, he was the son of Zeus (Jupiter) by Alcmena, the wife of Amphitryon and was brought up at Thebes, and before he was eight months old he had strangled two snakes sent by the jealous Hera (Juno) to devour him.
In his youth he had several distinguished instructors, among them the CentaurCheiron. Early in life he had, at the command of Zeus, to subject himself for twelve years to the will of Eurystheus, on the understanding that after he had acquitted himself of this duty he should be reckoned in the number of the gods. He, therefore, went to Mycenae, and performed at the bidding of Eurystheus the tasks known as the twelve labours of Hercules. These were
Bring from the infernal regions Cerberus the three headed dog of Hades.
Besides these labours, he also achieved of his own accord others equally celebrated. Thus, he assisted the gods in their wars against the giants, and it was through him alone that Zeus obtained the victory.
Having attempted to plunder the temple at Delphi, he became engaged in conflict with Apollo, and was punished by being sold to Omphale, queen of Lydia, as a slave, who restored him to liberty and married him. Having latterly returned to Greece, he became the husband of Dejanira, who unwittingly brought about his death by giving him a tunic poisoned with the blood of the Centaur Neasus, which she innocently believed would retain for her Hercules' love. The poison took effect whenever the garment was put on, and as the distemper was incurable, Hercules placed himself on a burning pile on the top of Mount OEta, was received up into heaven, and being there reconciled to Hera, received her daughter Hebe in marriage. At the death of Hercules Deianira killed her self also through grief.
In ancient works of art Hercules is generally represented naked, with strong and well-proportioned limbs; he is sometimes covered with the skin of the Nemaean lion, and holds a knotted club in his hand, on which he often leans. The principal ancient statue of him which remains is the Farnese Hercules at Naples, a work of the Athenian Griycon, The myth of Hercules is believed by many writers to represent the course of the sun through the twelve signs of the zodiac. His marriage with Hebe was explained even by the ancients as symbolic of the renewing of the sun's course after its completion. Research Hercules
Abbreviations
Research Areopagus
