Fall of Corinth. Corinth is a famous city in Greece. In the Ottoman Empire

Like its ancient predecessor, the city of Corinth (Korinthos), located on the Isthmian Isthmus, was destroyed several times by earthquakes (most recently in 1981) and was literally rebuilt from ruins more than once. Therefore, the modern city is quite faceless and has few attractions. This is a large industrial and agricultural center, the Greek “capital of currants” (the word “currant” itself in all Western European languages ​​comes from the name of this city), an important transport hub and the “gateway of the Peloponnese”, through which the only highway crossing the Corinth Canal passes. In summer it is also the hottest and driest part of the peninsula. The only noteworthy objects here are the good Folklore Museum (open from Thursday to Sunday from 8.30 to 13.30; 2 euros), the cozy village of Archaia Corinthos, 7 km southwest of the city, and, of course, the Corinth Canal itself.

To explore ancient Corinth, it is better to set aside a whole day. The modern village of Archea Korinthos (the name itself translates as “Ancient Corinth”) lies right along the edge of the main excavation site. Buses go here from the modern city literally every hour (from 8.00 to 21.00, travel time about 20 minutes; 1 euro). According to legends, the city was founded by Corinth - one of the descendants of either Helios or Zeus himself. According to modern data, people lived here already in the 6th millennium BC. e., but in the III-II millennium BC. e. the city was completely destroyed by unknown invaders and then rebuilt. By the classical period it was already a major trading and political center, competing on equal terms with Athens and Thebes, and its women were considered the most beautiful in Hellas. However, subsequently several earthquakes practically razed it to the ground, and at the end of the 18th century, residents moved north, to the site of the modern city.

Now the ruins of the ancient city occupy a fairly large area between the mountains of Agios Dimitrios (574 m) and Kalderimi (93 m), and its acropolis Acrocorinth rises 565 meters above the plain. It should be borne in mind that the ruins of several cities, both Greek, Roman, and Byzantine, are mixed here, so traveling between the ruins, many of which are still being excavated, can be a tedious task. Only the central part of the ancient city, centered around the Roman forum and the classical temple of Apollo, has been preserved in better condition and has been almost completely excavated (open to the public every day: in summer - from 8.00 to 19.30; in winter - from 8.00 to 17.00; 6 euros), the rest of the buildings can sometimes be found in the most unexpected places, even among the residential areas of a modern village. Worth visiting are the Roman agora, the huge market between two porticos (once a multi-storey shopping mall!), the bema (a marble platform used for announcements and meetings), the ruins of a basilica and numerous Roman administrative buildings, a grated sacred spring, a Roman fountain and fragments of the Lecheon road lined with marble slabs (once the main road of the city). From the Temple of Apollo (5th century BC), only seven strict Doric columns towering above the forum have survived. Somewhat further west is the Corinth Museum (open the same hours as the rest of the site, admission fee included in general admission) with a good collection of Greek and Roman mosaics. Even further to the west, the foundations of two theaters were discovered - a Roman odeon and a large Greek one, used by the Romans for gladiator fights (including simulating sea battles). And just to the north lie the ruins of the Temple of Asclepius (access is closed).

Towering over the city, Acrocorinth (open daily in summer from 8.00 to 19.00, in winter from Thursday to Sunday from 8.30 to 15.00; admission free) is crowned by a massive rock and is still surrounded by the old fortress walls (total length about 2 km). Despite the difficult four-kilometer climb to the fortress gates, visiting it is definitely worth the effort. From here you can enjoy a beautiful panorama of the gulfs of Saronicos and Korinthos (Corinthian), and you can wander for hours in the chaos of temples, chapels, mosques, fountains, ancient buildings and battlements of all styles and eras.

Corinth from A to Z: map, hotels, attractions, restaurants, entertainment. Shopping, shops. Photos, videos and reviews about Corinth.

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How to get to Corinth

The train to Corinth (final stop - Kiato) departs directly from Athens airport every hour, from 5.50 to 22.50. Travel time is 1 hour 20 minutes. The schedule is on the website of the railway company.

The bus from Athens leaves every half hour from 06.00 to 23.30 from Leoforia Peloponnisou station. Travel time is 1.5 hours. In addition, a bus from Athens to Nafplio stops in Corinth (departs every hour).

Search for air tickets to Athens (the nearest airport to Corinth)

History and culture

Having emerged as a settlement no later than 4000 BC. e., Corinth more than once became the main business center of the eastern Mediterranean. This was facilitated by its geographical location - the city not only controlled movements along the isthmus, but also organized portage for ships between the Ionian and Aegean seas. Corinth was famous for its ceramics and textiles. It was here that the most magnificent of the styles of classical ancient Greek architecture developed. The wealth and lavish lifestyle of its inhabitants are even reflected in the famous saying “Not everyone can visit Corinth.”

Presumably in 50 AD. e. The Apostle Paul arrived in Corinth. After living in the city for a year and a half, he founded a Christian community, to which he later dedicated two of his epistles, which were included in the New Testament. In 58, the Apostle Paul again returned to his flock and wrote his letter to the Romans.

After liberation from the Turkish yoke, in 1833, Corinth, due to its strategic location and historical significance, was considered as one of the candidates for the status of the capital of Greece, but was “defeated” by Athens. Currently, Corinth is a large industrial and transport hub.

Weather in Corinth

Transport

There are three bus stations in Corinth. Buses to Athens depart from Terminal A (next to the train station). They take 15-20 minutes to Ancient Corinth from the station at the corner of Kolokotroni and Koliatsu streets. Buses to other cities in the Peloponnese depart from the station at the corner of Koliatsu and Ermou streets.

Acrocorinth

Popular hotels in Corinth

Entertainment and attractions of Corinth

Ancient Corinth

The city's largest landmark, the Temple of Apollo, dating from the 6th century BC, rises above the ruins of the Roman agora, or shopping arcade. Of particular note are the Sacred Spring and the Tribune, or Bema, in the open area of ​​the northern part of the agora. It was on this building that the Apostle Paul stood when he had to defend himself and the Christian faith before the proconsul of Corinth, Gallio.

Within the rows are also the ruins of Pirena, the main source of drinking water, named after the mythological heroine who, according to legend, shed so many tears in grief after the death of her grandson that she turned into a spring. To the north-west of it is the Theater; in the Augustan era, its lower tier was rebuilt and used for gladiator fights. Further to the north are the ruins of the sanctuary of Asclepius and the spring of Lerna, known as the Asklepion - a complex dedicated to the art of healing and the healing god Asclepius.

In summer, it is better to explore the city in the early morning or afternoon to avoid the scorching sun and massive tourist flow.

There is an Archaeological Museum on site. In summer, access to visitors is open from 8.00 to 20.00, in winter - from 8.00 to 15.00. Entrance to the territory - 15 EUR - includes a ticket to visit the museum.

Prices on the page are as of November 2018.

Maps of Corinth

Acrocorinth

Acrocorinth - ruins of fortress walls from the eras of Byzantine, Roman and Turkish rule. The view from the top of the hill, where the temple of Aphrodite once stood, is breathtaking.

Open to visitors daily, from 8.00 to 19.00. Free admission.

Corinth Canal

The Corinth Canal, connecting the Saronic and Corinthian gulfs, is an impressive engineering feat. Its length is 6 kilometers, width - 24 meters, depth - 8 meters, the height of the walls reaches 75 meters. A railway and three road bridges span the canal.

Address: Greece, 5 km from Corinth
Main attractions: Temple of Apollo, Roman Baths, Amphitheater
Coordinates: 37°54"21.7"N 22°52"44.9"E

Short description

Most travelers visiting Greece in order to get acquainted with a huge number of attractions, historical monuments and architecture of the ancient people, first of all go to Athens.

Ancient street

However, according to most guides, this route is wrong for people interested in Greek history. It cannot be said that in Athens and the area surrounding the city there are few ruins, ancient temples and sanctuaries. Not at all, but it would be more correct to start getting acquainted with Ancient Greece from the city of Corinth, which, according to historians, is the first settlement to appear on the territory belonging to a modern European state.

Surprisingly, the name Corinth bears not one city, but two, the distance between them is just over three kilometers. The first Corinth is the oldest city, and the second, rebuilt relatively recently, “only” at the end of the 19th century. The most attractive for a person interested in the sights and ruins of temples that were built before our era is undoubtedly old Corinth. It is considered a “natural” museum, with numerous exhibits located directly in the open air.

Ruins of an ancient city

If a tourist is taken to ancient Corinth, then he should know that this “dead” city is separated from the capital of modern Greece by a distance of almost eighty kilometers. A car ride to Old Corinth will take no more than an hour and a half. However, the excursion bus takes almost the same amount of time to get to the museum city. The once powerful and rich Corinth is located on the Isthmian Isthmus. If you look at the ruins of Corinth, which were left behind by the powerful earthquake that occurred in 1858, from a bird's eye view, you can immediately draw a certain conclusion. In ancient centuries, the city was of great strategic importance - from its ports one could immediately access two bays of the Aegean Sea: Corinthian and Saronic.

Ancient Corinth - the foundation and origin of the city's name

Speaking about the foundation and origin of the name of the ancient city, it should immediately be noted that the versions put forward by modern historians are mostly based on archaeological excavations, which, by the way, began in Greece only at the dawn of the 20th century. Alas, too few documents, chronicles and descriptions of the city by ancient travelers were found to speak with confidence about the origin and purpose of the ruins of a particular building located on the territory of old Corinth. However, modern technologies, the tireless and painstaking work of archaeologists, have made it possible to assume that the first settlers appeared here 6 thousand years (!) BC.

There are even myths that tell about the origin of the city's name. According to the first legend, the settlement was founded by the ancient king of Corinth, who was born from the love affair of the daughter of a titan named Ocean and the god Helios, often called Ether. The second myth says that the city of Corinth was created by Sisyphus. The same legend tells that it was in Corinth that the well-known Argonaut Jason abandoned the beautiful Medea, who went mad with grief and burned the city. By the way, even if you have the courage to assume that this myth is not fiction, then Corinth burned in those days not the last time. This ancient city was too tasty a morsel for numerous conquerors.

More reliable sources that could tell us about the origin of the city’s name have not been found these days. It could not have been otherwise: numerous captures of Corinth and destructive earthquakes destroyed most of the ancient chronicles and buildings that could shed light on the history of the city during the Neolithic.

Temple of Apollo

Corinth - the story of the rise and fall of the ancient city

As mentioned above, Corinth had two important ports that allowed its merchants to access the bays of the sea. This could only mean one thing: the townspeople could trade successfully, which means they were provided with everything they needed. It is worth noting that before the capture of Corinth by the Romans, it was more influential and powerful than the great Athens. If in Athens the sages talked about the purpose of man in this world, and in Sparta warriors improved their martial arts and often died en masse in bloody battles, then the Corinthians were much more pragmatic: they carried on uninterrupted trade with neighboring cities and even other countries.

In addition, there is confirmed evidence that in the 7th century BC, during the reign of Periander, the city even founded its own colonies, in particular, a colony in Albania. Corinth was also one of the nine powerful cities that created the colony of Naucradite, which allowed trade with Ancient Egypt. It is also interesting that some historians classify Periander as one of the legendary “seven wise men.” It was he who tried to be the first to dig a canal that would connect the Saronic and Corinthian Gulfs.

To be fair, it is worth clarifying that the ancient ruler failed to do this. Looking far ahead, I would like to say that Periander’s idea was brought to life only in 1893. After the reign of Periander, the city experienced prosperity. Even an ancient proverb has survived to this day, which roughly reads: “Not everyone can sail to Corinth.” It can only be interpreted this way: in a luxurious city, the most powerful in all of Ancient Greece, life was very expensive. Only a native of Corinth or a wealthy guest could afford to enjoy all the benefits.

In Corinth, a beautiful temple of prostitutes rose and delighted everyone... Yes, yes, you heard right, it is the temple of prostitutes! This is not surprising, because this profession is much older than Corinth itself. This temple was dedicated to the goddess Aphrodite, who, as is known from ancient Greek myths, was the patroness of love, including carnal love.

Amphitheater

The people of Corinth managed to think everything through so well that they practically didn’t have to work. According to some sources, the indigenous population of ancient Corinth was neither more nor less - 300 thousand people, which at that time was something out of science fiction for Greece. They were provided with a comfortable life by more than half a million (!) slaves.

If you pay attention to the history of any city, or even an entire empire, you will notice that the period of greatest prosperity always precedes decline. Was no exception the city of Corinth, which was destroyed by the Roman strategist and great warrior Lucius Mummius of Achaea. In addition to his talent, which allowed him to conquer cities and states, the military leader had a penchant for cruelty: he massacred all the men in Corinth, and sold young girls, women and their children into slavery. The tyrant simply destroyed the city with its temples, two ports and a mass of residential buildings and burned it to the ground.

After Lucius Mummius of Achaea, the city, which was beginning to be rebuilt and “come to life,” began to be plagued by failures. One might say that the gods themselves were angry with Corinth: the terrible earthquakes that occurred in 375 and 551 erased all the buildings of the Corinthians from the face of the earth. In 395, the conqueror Alaric again sacked the city, killed most of its inhabitants, and, miraculously, those who survived were sold into slavery. In the 13th century, Corinth, like many other Greek cities, became part of the Ottoman Empire. Only in 1830, Corinth, almost completely destroyed, during the war for independence, which lasted almost nine years, again gets a chance for independence.

It is worth noting that in 1833, it was Corinth that they wanted to proclaim as the capital of free Greece, which was patronized by Germany. This fact suggests that Corinth, despite the destruction and looting, still had the most important strategic importance for all of Greece. But, as everyone knows from history, the capital of the Greek Kingdom became a small and sparsely populated settlement at that time called Athens.

Roman baths

All of the above is just a small part of the long and intricate history of the oldest city in Greece, Corinth. It is unlikely that it will be possible to describe it all in one material, and many of the opinions of historians at the moment are not yet supported by facts, but are based, as already mentioned, only on the finds of archaeologists. Exhibits recovered from the ground during excavations can speak about the culture, way of life, beliefs of the ancient people who inhabited the city, and even about the times of barbarian plunder. However, they cannot confirm with utmost accuracy this or that important date relating to the ancient history of Corinth.

The ancient city of Corinth today

If you look at ancient Corinth now, it resembles not a once majestic and powerful city, but an archaeological site on which specialists conduct their work. Thanks to their efforts, today you can see the ruins of the huge Agora structure, which included 71 Doric columns on the outside. Without exaggeration, this building can be called truly huge even today. In its rear part alone there were 66 shops, 31 of them had wells, the depth of which often exceeded 10 meters. All of them connected to a channel that was of natural origin. It is not known for certain what these wells were used for. Most likely, they stored food that quickly deteriorated due to high temperatures.

A tourist walking among the ancient ruins discovers the ruins of a temple, which many call the Sanctuary of Apollo. There are too few facts indicating that this structure was erected in honor of the god of predictions and arts: at the site of the ruins, a small tablet was found on which the name of the god was engraved, and a description of the traveler Pausanias, dating back to the 2nd century BC . The Temple of Apollo (and perhaps another deity) was left untouched even by the Romans when they completely rebuilt Corinth. According to archaeologists, only a devastating earthquake did not spare him.

In addition to the ruins of the Agora, the Temple of Apollo, you can see the two main streets of the ancient city, which, as you might guess, do not belong to the ancient history of Corinth, but were built under the leadership of the Romans. Without exception, all lovers of architectural monuments will be interested in the Glavka fountain. It is unique because the water supply used pipes leading to a source located in the south of the city. Who and when built this amazing fountain, as well as the northwestern and western stores, is not yet known: historians are still engaged in fierce debate among themselves about these architectural structures. By the way, there is more than one Glavka fountain in ancient Corinth: you can see the Pirin Fountain there. Much more is known about him. It was given to the Corinthians by a wealthy resident of Athens, Herodes Attica. The Pirin fountain threw upward jets of water from a natural source, without which it would now be impossible to imagine the existence of new Corinth.

In front of the ruins of the city-museum in the open air, various sculptures found on its territory are put on public display. It is worth remembering that entrance to ancient Corinth is paid: the ticket costs 6 euros. Before visiting it, you should definitely make sure you have drinking water and a sun umbrella in your travel bag: there are no operating shops among the ruins of Corinth, as well as shaded areas.

THE WORK OF SISYPHUS

The city on the site of modern New Corinth arose, flourished and was completely destroyed several times. It is one of the oldest cities in Hellas with a long, albeit intermittent, history.

Old Corinth, of which only ruins remain 5 km from New Corinth, was one of the largest capitals in the world in Antiquity. There were two ports on the shores of the Corinthian and Saronic gulfs; in the harbors there are docks to accommodate a large fleet. Archaeological excavations have brought to light the remains of an archaic temple, a forum, a market, the Pirena fountain, public baths, shopping arcades along a paved road with covered sidewalks, the ruins of a basilica, fragments of mosaics and statues.

The first large settlement under the hill arose in the Neolithic, at least 6 thousand years ago. Representatives of non-Indo-European peoples who arrived by sea from the western part of Asia Minor settled here. They were excellent potters and stonemasons. The second wave of settlers, also from the east, brought with them the art of metalworking. The city flourished, but was destroyed and abandoned by its inhabitants for six centuries at the end of the 3rd millennium BC. e., when semi-wild tribes poured into the Peloponnese from the north.

The name Corinth is believed to be of ancient non-Indo-European origin. If so, then the old name returned after a period of naming Ephyra (clearly a Greek place name) along with a local legend about the founding of the city by a certain ancient Greek hero Corinth, supposedly the son of Zeus. According to another legend, the city was founded not by Corinth, but by Sisyphus (judging by Homer’s description, an extremely unreliable, self-interested, cunning and vicious man who constantly violated the code of hospitality...). However, in the myths about the first kings of Corinth there are a lot of discrepancies: in one version, Sisyphus is called the direct successor of Corinth, who took revenge on the local residents for his murder; in another, after the death of Corinth, the townspeople transferred power to Jason and Medea, and after them Sisyphus received the throne; in the third, King Creon, who received Jason and Medea, is called “a descendant of Sisyphus.” Another myth says that one day Poseidon and Helios argued over Corinth, and it was decided that the Isthmus of Corinth belonged to Poseidon, and Acrocorinth to Helios. Comparison of several chronicles allows us to date the foundation of Acrocorinth (protected by the triple fortress wall of the “upper city” on the hill, with the temple of Aphrodite and the source of the Upper Pyrenees) to 1514 BC. e.

The main center of the Peloponnese in the 16th–11th centuries. BC e. there was Mycenae, and Corinth was one of the Mycenaean kingdoms. After the Dorian invasion and the “Bronze Age catastrophe,” Corinth is already considered a Dorian state; The Dorian Apet founded a new dynasty in Corinth. At the beginning of the classical period, Corinth at one time dominated the peninsula. The Corinthians grew rich not only through crafts (the production of bronze items, textiles, black-figure ceramics and tiles) and trade: local residents controlled the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and took tolls for traveling on roads and for dragging ships. The city was a center of trade and entertainment, the extravagance (and immorality) of its inhabitants became a proverb: “Not everyone can visit Corinth” in the sense of “Dear things are not available to everyone.” The Isthmian Games in Corinth were the second most important after the Olympic Games.

Some of the inhabitants migrated to the north (for example, Kerkyra, modern Corfu) and to the south (Syracuse in Sicily). Relations between the mother city and the colonies were not cloudless: thus, the separatist sentiments of Kerkyra worsened by the 7th century. BC e. so much so that they led to the first naval battle in history (c. 664 BC).

In 602 BC. e. The tyrant of Corinth, Periander, wanted to dig a canal and went to the oracle for a blessing, but the Pythia forbade him to dig the isthmus. And the engineers advised against it, fearing flooding of the land due to the difference in water levels in the bays. Instead, the old portage of Diolok was paved with stone blocks and equipped with something like rails along which carts transported ships. Peri-andr ruled for 40 years, having managed to do a lot of useful things for Corinth, which flourished under him; however, he was a quick-tempered, vindictive and cruel person. His weaker successor lasted three years in power and was killed; After this, a period of decline began in Corinth, and it lost its position to Athens and Sparta.

ROMAN ERA

As punishment for the uprising in 146 BC. e. Rome wiped out Corinth, which was the last major trading competitor of the Romans in the Mediterranean (just shortly before this, the Romans destroyed Carthage to the ground). A century later, the capital of the Roman province of Achaia was built in its place with the name Corinth, Julia's glory.

Having experienced, together with many other policies of Ancient Greece, a period of political and economic crisis, Corinth became dependent on. By the will of Philip II of Macedon (father of Alexander the Great), the Corinthian Union of Greek city-policies arose, united in the winter of 338/337 BC. e. for the war with Persia. Later in 243, Corinth joined the revived Achaean League, which united the northern Peloponnese to drive out the tyrants and Macedonian garrisons; but as a result of the unsuccessful Cleomenes War with Sparta (229-222 BC), the Achaean League collapsed, and Corinth in 223 BC. e. again recognized the hegemony of the Macedonian king (Antigone III Doson). Then there were the Allied War (220-217 BC) and the 1st Macedonian War (215-204 BC), and then Rome came into play (before that it was busy with its problems , fighting with the Carthaginian army of Hannibal). Rome gained the sympathy of the Achaean oligarchy by convincing them that it would free the Hellenes from Macedonian dependence. In the 2nd Macedonian War (199-197 BC), Rome won and forced the Macedonian king Philip V to renounce all Greek possessions. At the East Mian Games, the Roman commander Titus Quintius Flamininus solemnly announced the “freedom of the Hellenes” and placed Corinth at the head of the new Achaean League. However, in the 3rd Macedonian War, the Achaeans did not support the Romans: adhering to neutrality, they hoped that Rome and Macedonia would weaken each other and Greece would finally be able to pursue a more independent policy. When Macedonia was defeated and turned into a Roman province, the sympathies of the Achaeans were on the side of the Macedonians. As they say, choose the lesser of two evils. But it was too late: Rome no longer needed the Achaean League and was doomed. In 147, the Roman ambassador announced a Senate decree on the “liberation of cities,” that is, on the exclusion from the Achaean League of cities “not related to the Achaeans” - Sparta, Argos, Orchomenus and even Corinth! Anti-Roman unrest, almost a revolution, began everywhere. The Corinthians were outraged, pogroms began, and the Roman embassy hastily left the city.

The general battle between the Achaean and Roman troops took place at Leukopetra on Isthmus near Corinth in 146 BC. e. The Achaean Union was defeated. The Roman commander Lucius Mummius ordered all Corinthian men to be killed, and children and women were sold into slavery. The only memory left of that city was the Acrocorinth fortress and several columns of the Temple of Apollo.

The life of Corinth, the Julius of Fame (as its official name became), was revived a century later on the orders of Julius Caesar. In 44 BC. e. the city was rebuilt as the capital of the Roman province of Achaia (southern Greece). It was a completely Romanized city, inhabited by Italians, Greeks and Jews (in 51 AD, the Apostle Paul preached in the Corinthian synagogue for a year and a half, leaving behind a large Christian community; this was the very beginning of his missionary activity). During the Roman period, Corinth again eclipsed Athens and, in general, all the cities of Hellas. Unlike ancient Greek buildings, ancient Roman Corinth is well preserved. Even the ancient platform in the center of the agora, from which the Apostle Paul once preached, has been preserved. All the most interesting finds are collected in the archaeological museum of Corinth.

At the beginning of our era, Corinth suffered several times from earthquakes and barbarian invasions (the Heruli in 267, the Goths of Aparic in 395). There followed a period of decline with a short revival under the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, who restored some of the buildings and built the 10-km Examilio Wall across the entire isthmus to protect against invasions from the north. In the Middle Ages, the fortress of Acrocorinth passed from hand to hand: it was alternately owned by the Byzantines, Normans, Franks, Venetians and Turks. The Temple of Aphrodite was converted first into a Christian church, then into a mosque. In 1858, Old Corinth was destroyed by a strong earthquake. They did not restore it, but built New Corinth a little to the side.

ATTRACTIONS

Natural:

• Acro-Corinth rock,
• Pirena Fountain on Acrocorinth.

Antique:

• Seven columns of an archaic temple, rock-cut cisterns of the Glavka fountain, ruins from the Roman period - everything that remained in sight before the excavations began.
• The remains of the walls of the ancient city, connected to the walls, with a total length of about 16 km.
• The city's two harbors are Cenchrea on the Saronic Gulf and Lechaea on the shores of the Gulf of Corinth.
• Remains of the paved Lehei road with covered sidewalks.
• Portico of captives with colossal figures of captive barbarians (2nd century BC)
• Tribune on the northern agora (from which the Apostle Paul preached).
• Remains of the Julian Basilica with statues.
• The 165-meter southern and northwestern pillar (a long portico gallery with a double row of Ionic columns) with benches and wells.
• Forum (a square with shops and administrative buildings, including the Senate building).
• Temples of the Roman era; ruins of the Odeon indoor theater; public baths.

Modern:

• Corinth Canal.
• Architectural Museum of Corinth with interesting finds from archaeological excavations.

FUN FACTS

Ancient Greek geographer of the 2nd century. n. e. Pausanias, in his book “Description of Hellas,” cites a Corinthian myth about a dispute between Poseidon, the sea, and Helios, the sun. The judge in this case was Briareus, one of the Hecatoncheires, who decided that the Isthmus of Corinth belonged to Poseidon, and Acrocorinth to Helios. From the same book: “The spring behind the temple is said to have been a gift from Asopus to Sisyphus. According to legend, the latter knew that Zeus had kidnapped Asopus’ daughter Aegina, but refused to give any information until he received a source in Acrocorinth for himself.”

According to the ancient Greek legend, popularized by Euripides, Jason wished to marry Glauce, the daughter of the Corinthian king, and abandoned Medea. She took revenge on all the offenders and disappeared on a winged chariot drawn by dragons sent by her grandfather Helios (or Hecate). The playwright's contemporaries argued that Euripides attributed the murder of the boys to their mother, and not to the Corinthians, as earlier versions of the legend claimed, for a huge bribe. In this way, the Corinthians tried to clear the good name of the city.

More than a thousand priestesses served at the Corinthian temple of the goddess of love Aphrodite. They served in a unique way, with their bodies, essentially differing little from prostitutes.

In Corinth, Alexander the Great met the Cynic philosopher Diogenes. According to legend, the king invited Diogenes to ask him for whatever he wanted, and the philosopher replied, “Don’t block the sun for me.”

The Corinthian order, one of the three Greek architectural orders, is a heavily decorated (stylized acanthus leaf) Ionic order. Vitruvius reports that the Corinthian order was invented by the sculptor Callimachus from Corinth in the 2nd half of the 5th century BC. e. The prototype of the new order was the acanthus-covered basket with her belongings that the sculptor saw in the cemetery, on the grave of a recently deceased girl. Therefore, the Corinthian order is also called the maiden order (in contrast to the male Doric and female Ionic).

Attempts to dig the Corinth Canal have been going on since ancient times. After the Corinthian tyrant Periander (307 BC), first Julius Caesar, then Caligula, were concerned with plans to build a canal, and Nero even began grandiose work, gathering 6,000 slaves to build the canal. But due to the uprising in Rome, he had to give up everything, and his successor closed the expensive project.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Location: ancient Greek polis and modern city (5 km from the ancient one) on the Isthmian (Corinthian) isthmus connecting the Peloponnese peninsula with mainland Greece.
Administrative affiliation: capital of the prefecture (nome) of Corinthia, Greece.
Ancient name: Ephyra.
Date of foundation: the first settlement appeared in the Neolithic; the ancient Greek polis was founded presumably in 1514 BC. e.
Destroyed by the Romans in 146 BC. e.
Roman Corinth, Julian glory - founded in 44 BC. e. Destroyed by earthquake in 1858
Archaeological excavations have been carried out since 1929.
Language: Greek.
Religion: Orthodoxy.
Ethnic composition: Greeks.
Currency: euro.

NUMBERS

Old Corinth
Population: up to 500 thousand people. in the Roman era.
Length of the walls of the ancient city: approx. 16 km.
New Corinth
Area: 102.2 km2.
Population: 58,280 people. (2011)
Population density: 570.3 people/km2.
Distance from Athens: 78 km. Corinth Canal (built in 1881-1893): length 6346 m, width at sea level - 24.6 m, depth 8 m, slope height up to 79 m.

CLIMATE

Mediterranean, mild wet winters and hot dry summers.
Average temperature in January: +10"C.
Average temperature in July: +28"C.
Average annual precipitation: 400 mm.

7 km southwest of the modern city, rebuilt after the earthquake in 1928, which is of little interest, are the ruins of ancient Corinth. Of the 38 Doric columns of the Temple of Apollo from the 6th century BC. only seven left. Not far from here stretched a two-level agora, flanked on either side by rows of benches. A long portico adjoins it on the south side; Here are the remains of a double colonnade. From the northern end of the agora a paved road began that led to the port of Lehei. There was also a staircase leading down to the vaulted rooms and to the colonnades of the lower spring of Pirena, very well preserved. It was built around a square pool dug into the ground and was rebuilt many times.

Artifacts from the Greek and Roman periods found during excavations are exhibited in the museum: marble, ceramics, mosaics, remains of frescoes and, in the central hall, statues and bas-reliefs that decorated the proscenium of the theater.

Near the entrance you can also see the ruins of a small Roman theater and behind it a large arena where gladiator fights were held or, when it was filled with water, naval battles.

Acrocorinth

Looking over the city from a high cliff, the citadel passed from hand to hand of all the peoples who ruled Greece. It took the Franks a full five years of siege to capture it! You can walk here in 30 minutes along a steep road, passing through many fortifications and gates. The first line of fortress walls was built by the Turks in the 14th century, the next by the Venetians. The last fortifications are associated with two towers: one Byzantine, the other ancient.

After passing behind the fortifications, you will see the mosque of the old Turkish quarter with a minaret without a top, and on the right a restored Orthodox chapel.

The main path leads to the right, up to a ledge where the upper Pyrene spring is located, located in an underground room from the Hellenistic period. The lower hall is filled with clean cold water, which, however, should not be drunk.

The road goes uphill and after a while it splits in two. The right one leads to the Frankish keep, a remnant of the fortress built by William II Villehardouin in the second half of the 13th century. The left road ascends to the Temple of Aphrodite (575 m), practically not preserved. Nevertheless, the view from the top is amazing, it covers the entire isthmus, in the north to the Gulf of Corinth and Mount Parnassus, in the east Attica, in the north the Peloponnesian Mountains.

Neighborhoods of Corinth

Corinth Canal

Even in Antiquity, people thought about digging a canal and no longer carrying ships across the 6-kilometer Isthmus of Corinth. Periander, tyrant of the city in 600 BC, seems to have been the first. Alexander the Great, Caesar, Caligula, Hadrian and Herodes Atticus also raised this issue, but only Nero in 67 began this work. Vespasian sent him 6,000 Jewish captives from Judea as labor. Construction was in full swing when the emperor was forced to deal with a rebellion in Gaul, and the project was suspended and finally abandoned after his death.

From the 7th century BC. ships were pulled onto carts that were pulled along a paved road (diolkos) along parallel furrows, the distance between which was 150 meters and equal to the distance between the wheels of the cart - their traces can be distinguished in the west of the canal, near the Possidonius bridge. In 1882, the French took up the baton, following the path laid out by Nero. But the campaign was not successful, and the canal was completed by a Greek company only in 1893.

The technical side is impressive: the length of the canal is 6.3 km, it is dug out of white limestone, reaching a depth of 70 m in its central part, where it is crossed by a railway. At the bottom, its depth is only 7 m and its width is 21 m. Since this process requires caution, the vessels follow special boats. The passage lasts from 2 to 3 hours.

Isthmia

Founded near the place where the canal flows into the Saronic Gulf, Isthmia was famous in Antiquity for its games, which were not inferior in importance to the Olympic Games. These sporting and musical competitions have been held in the sanctuary of Poseidon every two years since 582 BC. until the 4th century. Participants, who came from all over Greece, showed their skills in running, wrestling, fist fighting, chariot racing and pentathlon.

The local museum displays the results of excavations conducted by American archaeologists since 1952. Maps and tablets annotated in English identify the Roman baths, sanctuary ruins, theater and two stadiums.

Nemea

It was here, as the myths say, that Hercules performed the first of his twelve labors - he defeated the Nemean Lion, sent by the goddess Hera to destroy the sanctuary. Every two years the city hosted the Nemean competition, one of the four great sports competitions dedicated to Zeus. The supreme deity was given a Doric temple, of which only three columns remained.

The museum presents the results of local excavations (including the Mycenaean treasury), and 500 m from here you can see the ruins of the stadium where the competition took place. It could accommodate up to 40,000 spectators!

Mycenae

Even pierced by the blinding rays of the sun, the ruins of this old royal city seem saturated with treachery and fear. A gloomy atmosphere in these places is not uncommon. But, according to mythology, it was here that Orestes committed the most terrible crime - matricide, the first in a series of bloody atrocities committed by the family of Atrides, the legendary rulers of Mycenae, about which the Iliad narrates. From legend to history is sometimes one step... playfully made by Heinrich Schliemann, a German amateur archaeologist, in 1876. Based on the texts of Homer, he easily discovered luxurious burials here, where rulers in golden masks rested. According to him, it was Agamemnon and his companions. Historians, although more skeptical, still admit that myth and reality, in all likelihood, met at Mycenae. At least one thing is clear: in its heyday, from the 16th to the 13th centuries BC, the city, protected by high stone walls, was the most powerful in mainland Greece.

Acropolis

You enter the Acropolis through its most beautiful decoration, the Lions Gate (or Lionesses Gate), a huge limestone tympanum decorated with headless predators. On either side are two colossal blocks stacked on top of each other.

After passing through the gate, on the right you see six rock-cut graves surrounded by a double parapet. Heinrich Schliemann discovered 19 remains in them wearing gold death masks. Archaeologists date them to the end of the 16th century BC, i.e. three centuries earlier than the supposed reign of Agamemnon. Also found nearby was a magnificent ensemble of funerary objects and gold jewelry.

Road of Kings (today this is a common path) rises to the top of the hill, where a few ruins of the Atridian palace, dating from the 15th century BC, are scattered, overlooking the megaron (royal hall).

Graves

Near the Lion Gate there are several tombs with a beehive-shaped dome, a feature inherent in the Mycenaean civilization. The tomb of Clytemnestra - wife of Agamemnon - is actually a group tomb (XIV century BC) with a raised arch.

On your return to the village you will pass the Treasure of the Atrides, also called the Tomb of Agamemnon, from a later period. This building is the largest and most beautiful of all. The entrance here is through the dromos, a long stone corridor - another characteristic feature of Mycenae - which is dug into the hill. The tholos, or rotunda, is closed by a monumental door 5.4 m high, with a crossbar consisting of two monoliths, each weighing about 120 tons! Fun fact: the vault, made of uneven stones, was so perfect that there was no need to hold them together with mortar.

Museum

A museum located near the city displays various sites and buildings found during excavations. Here you can see an interesting collection of metal objects found in the grave in which the bronze master is supposedly buried. The most beautiful artifacts (items found in graves, funeral masks) kept in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.

Argos

Considered in ancient times to be the oldest city in Greece, Argos reached its apogee in the 8th century BC, when its influence extended throughout the northeastern Peloponnese. Its ruins are located outside the center of the modern city, at the foot of Larissa Hill. You will discover impressive Roman baths here (II century), some of whose rooms still have geometric tiled floors, and a 4th-century BC theater excavated on the hillside that could seat up to 20,000 spectators.

Nearby are the ruins of an odeon from the 3rd century BC. and on the other side of the road are the ruins of the agora. Objects found during the excavations are exhibited in the Archaeological Museum on Vassilissos Olgas Street; You will see here magnificent armor and bronze helmets, as well as weapons, jewelry and pottery.

Larissa Fortress

Overhanging the city, the ruined fortress, perched at an altitude of 267 m, offers stunning views of Nafplio Bay, olive trees and orange orchards. On the site of the ancient acropolis, where the Franks erected their citadel in the 13th or 14th centuries, there are also later Venetian and Turkish extensions.