Athenian Acropolis in the context of Outcrop

Mount Pentelicus or Pentelikon (Greek: Πεντέλη, Πεντελικόν or Πεντελικό Όρος) is a mountain in Attica, Greece, situated northeast of Athens and southwest of Marathon. Its highest point is the peak Pyrgari, with an elevation of 1,109 m. The mountain is covered in large part with forest (about 60 or 70%), and can be seen from most of the Attica basin (including northern and southern Athens) and mount Parnitha, as well as far as Elefsina and the east coast of Attica. Human habitation, especially houses, surrounds the mountain, with the districts of Vrilissia, Penteli, Ekali, Dionysos, and the north part of Gerakas being on its foothills. Marble from Mount Pentelicus is of exceptionally high quality and was used to construct much of the Athenian Acropolis. Later, Pentelic marble was exported to Rome, where it was used in construction and in sculptures.

In antiquity, it was also called Brilēssos or Brilēttos (Ancient Greek: Βριλησσός, Βριληττός), which is the origin of the name of the nearby suburb of Vrilissia.

In ancient Greek religion Artemis Caryatis (Καρυᾶτις) was an epithet of Artemis that was derived from the small polis of Caryae in Laconia; there an archaic open-air temenos was dedicated to Carya, the Lady of the Nut-Tree, whose priestesses were called the caryatides, represented on the Athenian Acropolis as the marble caryatids supporting the porch of the Erechtheum. The late accounts made of the eponymous Carya a virgin who had been transformed into a nut-tree, whether for her unchastity (with Dionysus) or to prevent her rape. The particular form of veneration of Artemis at Karyai suggests that in pre-classical ritual Carya was goddess of the nut tree who was later assimilated into the Olympian goddess Artemis. Pausanias noted that each year women performed a dance called the caryatis at a festival in honor of Artemis Caryatis called the Caryateia.