From the Corinth entry in Wikipedia:

Corinth was a city-state (polis) 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. Since 1896, systematic archaeological investigations of the Corinth Excavations by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens have revealed large parts of the ancient city, and recent excavations conducted by the Greek Ministry of Culture have brought to light important new facets of antiquity.

For Christians, Corinth is well 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 Paul the Apostle's missionary travels. In addition, the second book of Pausanias' Description of Greece is devoted to Corinth.

Ancient Corinth was one of the largest and most important cities of Greece, with a population of 90,000 in 400 BCE. The Romans demolished Corinth in 146 BCE, built a new city in its place in 44 BCE, and later made it the provincial capital of Greece.

Prehistory and founding myths

Neolithic pottery suggests that the site of Corinth was occupied from at least as early as 6500 BCE, and continually occupied into the Early Bronze Age, when, it has been suggested, the settlement acted as a center of trade. However, there is a dramatic drop in ceramic remains during the Early Helladic II phase and only sparse ceramic remains in the EHIII and MH phases; thus, it appears that the area was very sparsely inhabited in the period immediately before the Mycenaean period. There was a settlement on the coast near Lechaion which traded across the Corinthian Gulf; the site of Corinth itself was likely not heavily occupied again until around 900 BCE, when it is believed that the Dorians settled there.

According to Corinthian myth as reported by Pausanias, the city was founded by Corinthos, a descendant of the god Zeus. However, other myths suggest that it was founded by the goddess Ephyra, a daughter of the Titan Oceanus, thus the ancient name of the city (also Ephyra).

Some ancient names for the place are derived from a pre-Greek "Pelasgian" language, such as Korinthos. It seems likely that Corinth was also the site of a Bronze Age Mycenaean palace-city, like Mycenae, Tiryns, or Pylos. According to myth, Sisyphus was the founder of a race of ancient kings at Corinth. It was also in Corinth that Jason, the leader of the Argonauts, abandoned Medea. During the Trojan War, as portrayed in the Iliad, the Corinthians participated under the leadership of Agamemnon.

In a Corinthian myth recounted to Pausanias in the 2nd century CE, Briareus, one of the Hecatonchires, was the arbitrator in a dispute between Poseidon and Helios, between the sea and the sun. His verdict was that the Isthmus of Corinth belonged to Poseidon and the acropolis of Corinth (Acrocorinth) belonged to Helios. Helios, the sun god, received the area closest to the sky, while Poseidon, the sea god, got the isthmus by the sea.

The Upper Peirene spring is located within the walls of the acropolis. "The spring, which is behind the temple, they say was the gift of Asopus to Sisyphus. The latter knew, so runs the legend, that Zeus had ravished Aegina, the daughter of Asopus, but refused to give information to the seeker before he had a spring given him on the Acrocorinthus." (Pausanias, 2.5.1). According to legend, the winged horse Pegasus drank at the spring, and was captured and tamed by the Corinthian hero Bellerophon.

All pictures are © Dr. Günther Eichhorn, unless otherwise noted.

Corinth

View Over Corinth
View over Corinth. (1159k)
View Over Corinth Temple
View over Corinth with the Temple of Apollo in the back. (1197k)
View Over Corinth
View over Corinth. (1.8M)
Temple Apollo
Temple of Apollo. (1353k)
Monolithic Doric Columns Temple
Monolithic Doric columns of the Temple of Apollo. (1280k)
Monolithic Doric Columns Temple
Monolithic Doric columns of the Temple of Apollo. (1274k)
Monolithic Doric Columns Temple
Monolithic Doric columns of the Temple of Apollo. (1021k)
Monolithic Doric Columns Temple
Monolithic Doric columns of the Temple of Apollo. (1222k)
Columns Corinthian Capitals
Columns with Corinthian capitals. (1155k)
Buildings Temple Apollo Back
Buildings with the Temple of Apollo in the back. (1418k)
Vaulted Building
Vaulted building. (1.6M)
Buildings
Buildings. (1351k)
Buildings
Buildings. (1403k)
Buildings
Buildings. (1.5M)
Roman Odeum
Roman Odeum. (1462k)
Street
Street. (1392k)
Building Block Inscription
Building block with inscription. (1458k)
Ionic Column Capitals
Ionic column capitals. (1457k)
Corinthian Column Capital
Corinthian column capital. (1446k)

Museum in Corinth

Marble Relief Zeus 1st
Marble relief of Zeus (1st century CE). (821k)
Marble Head Zeus Roman
Marble head of Zeus (Roman period). (859k)
Marble Statue Mother Goddess
Marble statue of the Mother Goddess Cybele (Roman period). (990k)
Marble Statue Athena Roman
Marble statue of Athena (Roman period). (775k)
Marble Relief Demeter 1st
Marble relief of Demeter (1st century CE). (829k)
Over Life-sized Marble Statue
Over life-sized marble statue of Demeter (early Roman period). (894k)
Head Aphrodite Copy 5th
Head of Aphrodite (copy of a 5th c. BCE original, 2nd century CE). (753k)
Marble Statue Artemis Or
Marble statue of Artemis or an Amazon (2nd century CE). (748k)
Marble Statue Apollo Lyre
Marble statue of Apollo, the lyre player (3rd century CE). (863k)
Marble Statue Apollo Lyre
Marble statue of Apollo, the lyre player (3rd century CE). (919k)
Hermes Ram-bearer Roman Period
Hermes the Ram-bearer (Roman period). (885k)
Pottery Depiction Dionysus Banquet
Pottery with depiction of Dionysus at a banquet. (834k)
Marble Head Dionysus 2nd
Marble head of Dionysus (2nd century CE). (596k)
Marble Statue Hephaestus 2nd
Marble statue of Hephaestus (2nd - 3rd century CE). (829k)
Marble Statue God Pan
Marble statue of the God Pan (120-140 CE). (796k)
Marble Head Eros 1st
Marble head of Eros (1st - 2nd century CE). (627k)
Marble Statue Nike Roman
Marble statue of Nike (Roman period). (1032k)
Marble Statue Nymph Roman
Marble statue of a Nymph (Roman period). (921k)
Melpomene Muse Tragedy
Melpomene, Muse of Tragedy. (1065k)
Over Life-sized Marble Statue
Over life-sized marble statue of Persephone (Roman copy of 5th century BCE original). (792k)
Erechtheion Maiden 1st Century
Erechtheion Maiden (1st century CE). (750k)
Heracles
Heracles. (764k)
Heracles Horses Diomedes
Heracles and the Horses of Diomedes. (720k)
Heracles Erymanthian Boar
Heracles and the Erymanthian Boar. (719k)
Heracles Stymphalian Birds
Heracles and the Stymphalian Birds. (720k)
Marble Statue Emperor Augustus
Marble statue of Emperor Augustus (27 BCE - 14 CE). (828k)
Marble Statue Gaius Caesar
Marble statue of Gaius Caesar, grandson of Augustus (20 BCE - 4 CE). (816k)
Marble Statue Lucius Caesar
Marble statue of Lucius Caesar, grandson of Augustus (17 BCE - 2 CE). (771k)
Marble Statue Man Armor
Marble statue of a man in armor (2nd century CE). (897k)
Colossal Statue Phrygian Captive
Colossal statue of Phrygian captive (2nd - 3rd century CE). (696k)
Marble Statue Male
Marble statue of a male. (1058k)
Marble Statue
Marble statue. (967k)
Marble Head Tyche 1st
Marble head of Tyche (1st century CE). (868k)
Marble Funerary Sphinx 575-550
Marble funerary Sphinx (575-550 BCE). (681k)
Relief Showing Hero Worship
Relief showing hero worship. (728k)
Head Hermes Or Perseus
Head of Hermes or Perseus (copy of a 5th c. BCE original, 2nd century CE). (788k)
Clay Altar Horses Decoration
Clay altar with horses decoration (4th century BCE). (833k)
Stone Sarcophagus
Stone sarcophagus. (937k)
Column Capital Decorated Atlas
Column capital decorated with Atlas figures. (913k)
Jar Decorated Ship
Jar decorated with a ship. (811k)
Jar Geometric Decorations
Jar with geometric decorations. (750k)
Krater Depicting Battle 580-555
Krater depicting a battle (580-555 BCE). (829k)
Krater Depicting Battle 580-555
Krater depicting a battle (580-555 BCE). (813k)
Krater Attica 475-450 Bce
Krater from Attica (475-450 BCE). (718k)
Kylix Attica 550-525 Bce
Kylix from Attica (550-525 BCE). (588k)
Amphora Geometric Design 800-750
Amphora with geometric design (800-750 BCE). (805k)
Bowl Depicting Banquet
Bowl depicting a banquet. (765k)
Decorated Bowl
Decorated bowl. (594k)
Jar Depicting Riders
Jar depicting riders. (651k)
Corinthian Bronze Helmet 500-475
Corinthian bronze helmet (500-475 BCE). (577k)
Dagger Gold Decoration 825-800
Dagger with gold decoration (825-800 BCE). (535k)
Colorful Mosaic
Colorful mosaic. (1396k)
Colorful Mosaic
Colorful mosaic. (1364k)
Colorful Mosaic 150-200 Ce
Colorful mosaic (150-200 CE). (1253k)

This page contains 73 pictures

Here are the links to the other main pages on Greece:

Recent Greece
Recent Greece
Greece
Greece
Mythology in Greece
Mythology

Page last updated on Fri Dec 2 11:40:33 2022 (Mountain Standard Time)


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