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המונח ארואפאגוס מתיחס גם למועצה המשפטית ממוצא אריסטוקרטי, אשר קבלה את סמכותה מידי [[סולון]].
In pre-classical times (before the 5th century BC), the Areopagus was the council of elders of the city, similar to the Roman Senate. Like the Senate, its membership was restricted to those who had held high public office, in this case that of Archon. In 462 BC, Ephialtes put through reforms which deprived the Areopagus of almost all its functions except that of a murder tribunal in favor of Heliaia.
In an unusual development, the Areopagus acquired a new function in the 4th century BC, investigating corruption, although conviction powers remained with the Ecclesia.
The Areopagus, like most city-state institutions, continued to function in Roman times, and it was at that location that the Apostle Paul delivered the famous 'What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you' speech, after seeing an altar 'to the Unknown God'.
The term "Areopagus" also refers to the judicial body of aristocratic origin, the power of which was enhanced by Solon, or the higher court of Greece
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