1. ANCIENT CORINTH
Full day Ancient Corinth tour starts with a 45-mile drive along the National highway.
We will reach the well-known Corinthian canal or else Isthmus canal
that connects the Saronic Sea and the Corinthian Sea.
we will continue with a ten-minute drive through the orange and
lemon tree fields and arrive at Ancient Corinth where are located the
Temple of Apollo-the God of Oracles and the Sun, the Roman baths
and finally the Vima (step) from where St. Paul preached to the
Corinthians in 52 A.D.
Corinth was one of the major cities of antiquity. It was made up of three parts; the
acropolis on the hill (Acrocorinth), the city itself on a lower plateau, and its port
(Lechaion) on the coast. All this was protected by a wall which ran for 20km (over 12
miles).
Until the 1800's the city was covered up by development, with only the Temple of
Apollo visible. The earthquake of 1858 destroyed nearly all the town, and excavations
began in 1896 by the Americans.
Built on trade Ancient Corinth was a very busy trading city, which led to its
cosmopolitan character. It was known as "Wealthy Corinth". The reason for its wealth
was its location. It was able to control the only land access to the Peloponnese and so
dominated the trade in both the Saronic gulf (to the east) and the gulf of Corinth (to
the west).
Philosophers! Corinth was also the home of the philosopher Diogenes (the Cynic)
who lived in a barrel. He's the one who was visited by Alexander the Great.
Philosophers were revered even by kings and princes, and Alexander asked Diogenes
if he wanted anything.
"Yes", replied Diogenes. "Could you move. You're keeping the sun off me".
The Temple of Apollo
It's impossible to miss the Temple of Apollo. It dominates the whole area of
archaeology which is ancient Corinth.The remains of the temple lie on a terrace which
is on the highest part of the city. From here there are wonderful views, extending as
far as the Gulf of Corinth. It's a favourite spot from which to take photos, and to get
an overall view of the extent of the ancient city of Corinth.
When was the temple built?
From bits of pottery found among the chippings left by the masons, the temple has
been dated to around 540 BC. It was built to replace an earlier temple from the 7th C
BC.Before the excavations began which revealed the extent of the ancient city, the
columns of the temple of Apollo were all that were visible. This was the only
indication archaeologists had of other finds which might be discovered.