Philopappos Hill takes its name from a prince who never got to be king. Gaius Julius Antiochus Epiphanes Philopappos was born to the royal family of Commagene in the Middle East, but the Romans conquered his homeland before he could inherit the throne.

He moved to Athens, made himself useful as a benefactor, and when he died in 116 CE, his sister and the city authorities erected a lavish marble monument on this hill as his grave marker. The Athenians buried him within the ancient city walls to honour him, though he was, as one might put it, completely inconsequential in the long history of Athens.

The hill had a more poetic name before that. The Greeks called it a museum, likely because the nine Muses, deities protecting arts and sciences, were worshipped there. These days, families fly kites here on Ash Monday, and couples climb up on summer nights to watch the full moon rise above the Parthenon.

VoiceMap's self-guided audio tours use Philopappos Hill to frame views of the Acropolis and explain its transformation from a sacred hill of the Muses to the resting place of an exiled prince.