It was founded asNew Corinth (Greek:Νέα Κόρινθος,romanized: Néa Kórinthos) in 1858 after an earthquake destroyed the existing settlement of Corinth, which had developed in and around the site of the ancient city.
Historical references begin with the early 8th century BC, whenancient Corinth began to develop as a commercial center. Between the 8th and 7th centuries, the Bacchiad family ruled Corinth.Cypselus overthrew theBacchiad family, and between 657 and 585 BC, he and his sonPeriander ruled Corinth as the Tyrants.
In about 585 BC, an oligarchical government seized power. This government later allied withSparta within thePeloponnesian League, and Corinth participated in thePersian Wars andPeloponnesian War as an ally of Sparta. After Sparta's victory in the Peloponnesian war, the two allies fell out with one another, and Corinth pursued an independent policy in the various wars of the early 4th century BC. After theMacedonian conquest of Greece, theAcrocorinth was the seat of a Macedonian garrison until 243 BC, when the city joined theAchaean League.
The Roman sack of Corinth in 146 BC (Thomas Allom, 1870)
In 146 BC, Corinth was captured and completely destroyed by the Roman general Lucius Mummius following the Battle of Corinth.
Between 146 BC and 44 BC there was a 102-year hiatus showing a significant drop in activity. The site was not entirely empty as it was occupied by squatters and temporary workers who managed the land as ager publicus (public land) for Rome before the official colony was settled.
In 44 BC, Corinth was a newly rebuilt Roman colony with 16,000 colonists, that flourished and became the administrative capital of the Roman province ofAchaea.[3] Under the authority ofJulius Caesar, the city was refounded asColonia Laus Iulia Corinthiensis. Caesar’s primary motivation for the 44 BC reconstruction was strategic and the colonists mainly came from the Gens Julii establishing estates for the familia. It provided a settlement for Roman freedmen and veterans while controlling the vital trade route across the Isthmus of Corinth. According toStrabo (Geography 8.6.23), Caesar chose this group to alleviate urban crowding in Rome and provide a loyal, industrious population for the trade hub.
Because the city was rebuilt by Romans, it was laid out in a typical Roman grid and became a Latin-speaking administrative hub, eventually serving as the capital of the province of Achaia. The Lechaion Road became the city's cardo maximus (main north-south axis). Excavations have traced its Roman paving and drainage systems, which were distinct from the earlier Greek pathways. The Greek agora was transformed into a Roman forum (marketplace). They retained some Greek structures, like the South Stoa, but repurposed them to fit the new civic layout. It also included a Roman-style amphitheater (uncommon in Greek cities) and specialized buildings like the Julian Basilica. Excavations of the Roman Villas at Anaploga show a stark hierarchy. While most lived in dense insulae (apartments), the elite built sprawling estates with elaborate mosaics, reflecting a rapid accumulation of wealth through Isthmian trade.
The "Decuriones" were the local city council members. While freedmen were technically barred from high office in Rome, the colonial charter of Corinth allowed them to rise to the rank of decurio. Evidence for this is found in the Corinthian Inscriptions (Vol. 8), which list names of elite officials with Greek roots but Roman citizenship.
To gain religious legitimacy, the new elite sponsored theIsthmian Games. Archaeological finds of "Agonistic Inscriptions" show that the new Roman citizens used these traditional Greek games to display their status to the wider Mediterranean world. One event of the Isthmian Games was held during the spring of AD 51.
In the New Testament,Paul went to Corinth during his second missionary journey (Acts 18), during the reign of EmperorClaudius (r. 41-54). He also wrote letters to the Corinthians and Romans. The Erastus Inscription, while not Jewish, this 1st-century paving stone mentions "Erastus, the Aedile" (a high-ranking city official). In the New Testament, Paul mentions anErastus in his letter to the Romans (written from Corinth) alongside Jewish companions, illustrating the high social level at which the community intersected with city government.[4] A heavy limestone lintel was discovered near the Lechaion Road (the main thoroughfare) bearing the Greek inscription [SYNA]GOGE EBR[AION]. While the stone itself likely dates to the 4th or 5th century AD, archaeologists often find that later synagogues were built directly on top of earlier 1st-century foundations.[5]
In 1858, the old city, now known as Ancient Corinth (Αρχαία Κόρινθος,Archaia Korinthos), located three kilometres (two miles) southwest of the modern city, was totally destroyed by a magnitude 6.5 earthquake. New Corinth (Nea Korinthos) was then built to the north-east of it, on the coast of the Gulf of Corinth. In 1928, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake devastated the new city, which was then rebuilt on the same site.[7] In 1933, there was a great fire, and the new city was rebuilt again.
During the German occupation inWorld War II, the Germans operated aDulag Luft transit camp for British, Australian, New Zealander and Serbian prisoners of war and aforced labour camp in the town.[8][9]
According to the nearby weather station of Velo, operated by theHellenic National Meteorological Service, Corinth has a hot-summerMediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification:Csa), with hot, dry summers and cool, rainy winters. The hottest month is July with an average temperature of 28.7 °C (83.7 °F) while the coldest month is January with an average temperature of 9.1 °C (48.4 °F). Corinth receives about 463 mm of rainfall per year and has an average annual temperature of 18.1 °C (64.6 °F).
The Municipality of Corinth (Δήμος Κορινθίων) had a population of 55,941 according to the 2021 census, the second most populous municipality in thePeloponnese Region afterKalamata.[1] The municipal unit of Corinth had 38,485 inhabitants, of which Corinth itself had 30,816 inhabitants, placing it in second place behind Kalamata among the cities of the Peloponnese Region.[1]
Corinth in 1882
The municipal unit of Corinth (Δημοτική ενότητα Κορινθίων) includes apart from Corinth proper the town ofArchaia Korinthos, the town ofExamilia, and the smaller settlements ofXylokeriza andSolomos.[1] The municipal unit has an area of 102.187 km2.[12]
Corinth is a major industrial hub at a national level. TheCorinth Refinery is one of the largestoil refining industrial complexes inEurope. Ceramic tiles, copper cables, gums, gypsum, leather, marble, meat products, medical equipment, mineral water and beverages, petroleum products, and salt are produced nearby. As of 2005[update], a period of Economic changes commenced as a large pipework complex, a textile factory and a meat packing facility diminished their operations.
View of the Gulf of Corinth and modern Corinth from the Castle of Acrocorinth
Corinth is a major road hub. TheA7toll motorway forTripoli andKalamata, (and Sparta via theA71toll), branches off theA8/E94toll motorway from Athens at Corinth. Corinth is the main entry point to the Peloponnesian peninsula, the southernmost area of continental Greece.
KTEL Korinthias[14] provides intercity bus service in the peninsula and to Athens via the Isthmos station southeast of the city center.[15] Local bus service is also available.
The metre gauge railway from Athens and Pireaeus reached Corinth in 1884. This station closed to regular public transport in 2007. In 2005, two years prior, the city was connected to theAthens Suburban Railway, following the completion of the newCorinth railway station. The journey time from Athens to Corinth is about 55 minutes. The train station is 5 minutes by car from the city centre and parking is available for free.
The port of Corinth, located north of the city centre and close to the northwest entrance of theCorinth Canal, at 37 56.0’ N / 22 56.0’ E, serves the local needs of industry and agriculture. It is mainly a cargo exporting facility.
It is an artificial harbour (depth approximately 9 m (30 ft), protected by a concretemole (length approximately 930 metres, width 100 metres, mole surface 93,000 m2). A new pier finished in the late 1980s doubled the capacity of the port. The reinforced mole protects anchored vessels from strong northern winds.
Within the port operates acustoms office facility and aHellenic Coast Guard post. Sea traffic is limited to trade in the export of local produce, mainly citrus fruits, grapes, marble, aggregates and some domestic imports. The port operates as a contingency facility for general cargo ships,bulk carriers andROROs, in case ofstrikes atPiraeus port.
The Corinth Canal, carrying ship traffic between the westernMediterranean Sea and theAegean Sea, is about 4 km (2.5 mi) east of the city, cutting through theIsthmus of Corinth that connects the Peloponnesian peninsula to the Greek mainland, thus effectively making the former an island. The builders dug the canal through the Isthmus at sea level; no locks are employed. It is 6.4 km (4.0 mi) in length and only 21.3 metres (70 ft) wide at its base, making it impassable for most modern ships. It now has little economic importance.
The canal was mooted in ancient times and an abortive effort was made to dig it in around 600 BC byPeriander which led him to pave theDiolkos highway instead.Julius Caesar andCaligula both considered digging the canal but died before starting the construction.[16] The emperorNero then directed the project, which consisted initially of a workforce of 6,000 Jewishprisoners of war, but it was interrupted because of his death. The project resumed only in 1882, after Greece gained independence from theOttoman Empire, but was hampered by geological and financial problems that bankrupted the original builders. It was finally completed in 1893, but due to the canal's narrowness, navigational problems and periodic closures to repair landslips from its steep walls, it failed to attract the level of traffic anticipated by its operators. It is now used mainly for tourist traffic.
The city'sassociation football team isKorinthos F.C. (Π.Α.E. Κόρινθος), established in 1999 after the merger of Pankorinthian Football Club (Παγκορινθιακός) and Corinth Football Club (Κόρινθος). During the 2006–2007 season, the team played in the Greek Fourth Division's Regional Group 7. The team went undefeated that season and it earned the top spot.[17] This granted the team a promotion to theGamma Ethnikí (Third Division) for the 2007–2008 season. For the 2008–2009 season, Korinthos F.C. competed in the Gamma Ethniki (Third Division) southern grouping.
^Wilson, M. (2019). "Chapter 6 The Ancient Synagogues of Asia Minor and Greece". In Jewish Religious Architecture. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill.https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004370098_008
