Corinth is a small Greek town in the north west of the narrow Isthmus of Corinth, separating the Gulf of Corinth and the Gulf of Aegina. The new city of Corinth is about 5 km from the old city and was partially destroyed by an earthquake in 1928.
Corinth was a once celebrated city upon the isthmus of the same name, which unites Peloponnesus with Northern Greece. It was renowned among the cities of Greece, commanded by its advantageous position a most important transit trade, and possessed all the splendour which wealth and luxury could create; while its citadel, the Acrocorinthus, nearly 2000 feet high, rendered it a strong fortress. Only a few ruins remain to attest its ancient magnificence. It had two harbours, Lechaeum on the west side of the isthmus, on what is now the Gulf of Corinth or Lepanto, and Cenchrese, on the Gulf of Athens or AEgina (anciently called the Saronic Gulf). Near Corinth were held the Isthmian games. Besides being one of the most magnificent, it was also one of the most voluptuous cities of Greece. After many political vicissitudes Corinth became the head of the Achaean League, and was conquered and destroyed by the Roman consul Mummius in 146 BC. Julius Caesar, about a hundred years later, rebuilt it; but its commerce could not be restored, though it became a place of note and importance. St Paul lived here a year and a half, and two of his epistles are addressed to the Corinthians.
Abbreviations
Gazetteer
Research Corinth
