Corinth Maps

Corinth is a city in the Peloponnese region of southern Greece, located on the Isthmus of Corinth, which connects mainland Greece to the Peloponnese. Modern Corinth, known as Nea Korinthos, was built following a devastating earthquake in 1858 that destroyed the previous settlement. The city has a population of approximately 40,000.

The site of Ancient Corinth, located approximately 7 kilometers southwest of the modern city, was one of the most important city-states of classical Greece. The ancient city controlled trade routes between northern Greece and the Peloponnese and between the Ionian and Aegean seas. The Temple of Apollo, dating to approximately 540 BCE, is one of the oldest surviving Doric temples in Greece, with seven of its original columns still standing. The Ancient Agora was the commercial and political center of the city.

The Acrocorinth, a monolithic rock formation rising 575 meters, was the acropolis of ancient Corinth and one of the most important fortifications in Greece. The site contains ruins spanning from ancient Greek times through the Byzantine, Frankish, Venetian, and Ottoman periods. The fortress was considered nearly impregnable due to its strategic position and multiple defensive walls.

The Archaeological Museum of Ancient Corinth displays extensive collections from the site, including pottery, sculptures, and mosaics. The Corinth Canal, completed in 1893, cuts through the isthmus, connecting the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf. The canal is 6.4 kilometers long and only 21 meters wide at its base, with walls reaching up to 90 meters high.

Ancient Corinth features prominently in Christian history as Saint Paul established one of the first Christian communities here and wrote his epistles to the Corinthians while residing in the city. The Museum of the Corinth Canal documents the engineering history of the canal project, which was envisioned in ancient times but only completed in the late 19th century. The Sanctuary of Demeter and Kore on the northern slopes contains terraces with dining rooms where ritual banquets took place.