Corinth

Corinth is a city and municipality in the Peloponnese region of Greece. It lies on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow land bridge connecting the Peloponnese to mainland Greece, overlooking the Gulf of Corinth to the west and the Saronic Gulf to the east. The Acrocorinth, a steeply rising hill fortress, dominates the city.

In antiquity, Corinth was a powerful polis whose strategic position on the isthmus fostered extensive trade and cultural exchange. It controlled two natural harbors: Lechaeum on the Corinthian Gulf and Cenchreae on the Saronic Gulf. The city linked Aegean and western Mediterranean routes and supported a thriving craft economy, including pottery, and the use of the diolkos, a paved overland trackway used to move ships across the isthmus. The Isthmian Games were held nearby as a Panhellenic festival.

Corinth was destroyed by the Romans in 146 BCE but was later rebuilt as a Roman colony, around 44 BCE, and became known as Colonia Laus Iulia Corinthiensis. The city remained an important center through late antiquity, with Roman-era architecture, fortifications, and public buildings contributing to its urban landscape.

Today, modern Corinth is a regional center in the Corinthia regional unit. It lies near the Corinth Canal, completed in 1893 to connect the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf and shorten maritime routes. Archaeological remains from the ancient city, including fortifications, the agora, and the theater, are integrated with the town’s contemporary port and services, reflecting a long history of settlement and exchange.