What Is Ancient Corinth?
Ancient Corinth was a city-state on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnese to the mainland of Greece, roughly halfway between Athens and Sparta. The modern city of Corinth is located about 5 kilometres northeast of the ancient ruins.
For Christians, Corinth is known from the two letters of Saint Paul in the New Testament, First and Second Corinthians. Corinth is also mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles as part of the Paul the Apostle’s missionary travels.
Ancient Corinth was one of the largest and most important cities of Greece, with a population of 90 000 in 400 BC. The Romans demolished Corinth in 146 BC, built a new city in its place in 44 BC, and later made it the provincial capital of Greece.
History
Ancient Corinth was first inhabited in the Neolithic period (6500 – 3250 BC). Because of its fertile soil and strategic location, it offered the potential for communication, growth and prosperity.
The production of agricultural products favoured expansion in trade activities mainly towards the Western Mediterranean. The economic prosperity of the city reached its peak in the 6th century BC under the administration of the tyrant Cypselus and his son Periander.
With the rise of the Athens at the end of the 6th century BC and the Persian Wars from 490-497 BC, the Corinthians were forced to yield to the Athenians. The rivalry between the Achaean League and Rome led to the battle of Leukopetra in 146 BC where the Greek troops were crushed by the Roman legions. This was followed by the complete destruction and devastation of the city.
Around 44 BC Julius Caesar added Corinth to the Roman colony and the new city was decreed in 27 BC as the capital of the Roman province of Achaea which included a large part of mainland Greece, the Peloponnese and several islands.
The population of the city grew significantly as agriculture developed again, along with livestock-breeding and trade, with corresponding exports, such as woven material, textiles made of dyed wool, olive oil and honey as well as wood and metal objects. The needs and the customs of the Romans also led to the import of commodities from other regions in the Empire like wine and construction materials which were necessary for the new luxurious buildings.
Despite the invasion of the Heruli in 267 AD and the damages caused by a destructive earthquake in 375 AD, the city flourished and became the capital of the Helladic Province of the eastern Roman Empire.
In 1204 the city was seized by the Franks and later, after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, by the Ottomans. For a short period, the city remained under Venetian occupation, and again by the Ottomans, until the liberation of Greece in 1830. In 1858, the village surrounding the ruins of Ancient Corinth was destroyed by an earthquake, leading to the formation of New Corinth 3 km North-east of the ancient city.
Archaeological Remains
The archaeological site of Ancient Corinth lays on the northern foothills of the Acrocorinth hill, around the Archaic Temple of Apollo. Excavations have brought to light the Roman Forum, temples, fountains, porticoes, baths, latrines and various other monuments. Excavations extended to the fortress on Acrocorinth, to the south of the site, as well as to the north, were prehistoric settlements such as that on the Korakou hill, at Hagios Gerasimos, Gonia and Gyriza were discovered.
To the south excavations revealed the Theatre, the Roman Odeion, the temple of Asclepius and Hygieia (Asclepieion), cemeteries, the Potter’s Quarter (Kerameikos), Roman Baths, the walls of the city and other buildings, such as the Frankish Area and a substantial number of Venetian and Ottoman monuments.
The Diolkos is a paved road which was used for the transport of boats by land on a platform. It became necessary to build it to provide a quick passage for the boats between the Saronic Gulf and the Corinthian Bay. It was constructed during the 6th century B.C., probably during the tyranny of Periandros in Corinth. Its western end was reconstructed at the beginning of the 4th century BC.
The Temple of Apollo is one of the earliest Doric temples in the Peloponnese and the Greek mainland. Built around 560 BC it was an emblem for the Greek city of Corinth, reflecting its growth and prosperity. In the Roman period, the Temple of Apollo was renovated in order to house the cult of the Emperor. In the Byzantine era a basilica was built on the northeast part of the Temple Hill, whereas in the Ottoman period, the eastern part of the Temple was demolished and a new residence of the local Turkish Bey was built on top of its crepis. Today, only seven standing columns of the western pteron and part of the crepis and its foundations are preserved.
According to tradition, the site of Paul’s trial before Gallio was the Bema, a large elevated rostrum standing prominently in the centre of the Roman Forum of ancient Corinth and from where the city officials addressed the public. Probably because of the monument’s connection to Saint Paul, the Bema was transformed into a Christian church during the Byzantine period.
The Roman Odeion of Ancient Corinth was constructed in the 1st century AD, as an integral part of the new-founded Roman Imperial colony of Corinth. The Odeion is estimated to hold an audience of 3 000 spectators of musical and rhetorical contests. The monument was destroyed and abandoned in the 4th century AD.
The Roman Amphitheatre built in the 1st century AD is located to the northeast of the Temple Hill of Apollo but remains unexcavated.
The Glauke Fountain was curved on the western slope of the Hill of the Temple of Apollo in Roman times. The fountain was probably built and initially used in the Archaic period.
The systematic excavations of the area, initiated by the American School of Classical Studies in 1896, are continuing today.
Interest For Today
In the Archaeological Museum of Ancient Corinth, the following are exhibited:
- Finds dated to the Prehistoric Period from the area of Ancient Corinth, the Korakou Hill and the site of Zygouries (Prehistoric Gallery).
- Finds from the Geometric, Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic City of Corinth.
- Finds from the Roman, Byzantine and Frankish City.
- Finds from the Sanctuary of Asklepios and the Early Christian cemetery.
- A selection of statues, sculpture, Greek and Latin inscriptions, as well as finds related to the presence of the Jewish community in the area.
- Finds from the komai (smaller settlements) and the sanctuaries of Corinth, as well as the twin Kouroi found in the cemetery of ancient Tenea.
Location
Address: Ancient Corinth, Τ.Κ. 20007, Ancient Corinth, Corinthia (Prefecture of Korinthia)
Tourist Information
For the opening hours of the Archaeological Site and Museum of Ancient Corinth contact the Archaeological Museum of Ancient Corinth at:
- Telephone number +30 27410-31207.
- Fax: +302741031480
- Email: efakor@culture.gr
Tickets in 2020 are €8 for adults, reduced to €4 for children and include both the Museum and the Archaeological Site. Some admission days are free.
