a r c ha e o l o g y
|
g r e e c e
The Greek word for the Corinthian Canal is Isthmus (meaning neck and referring to the narrowness of the land connecting the Peloponnese with mainland Greece). Since ancient times, a shortcut was created to save boats from sailing round the peninsula: a stone ramp called the Diolkos (7th cent. BCE). Deep grooves were constructed which allowed wheeled vehicles to drag the unloaded ships over to the eastern port (Kenchreai) or the western port (Lechaion). The tyrant Periander (7th cent. BCE), Julius Caesar and his successor Caligula, as well as Nero (1st cent. CE) and Herodes Atticus (2nd cent. CE) all attempted to study and/or apply a plan of digging a canal, before the actual completion of the project in the 19th century (initiative of Ioannis Kapodistrias, executed by prime minister Thrasyvoulos Zaimis and King George I of Greece). Instead of visiting the ancient city of Corinth, we head to the sanctuary of Isthmia. The Heraion of Perachora. Photo courtesy of Author.
57
j o u r n a l
The Corinthian Canal
O n l i n e
As indicated on a panel at the Heraion, we decided to visit the nearby Mycenaean necropolis at Skaloma, occupied from LH IIIA2/B1 continuing at least into early LH IIIC. Later, on the way back to Corinth, we make a short stop at the Corinthian Canal.
A n c i e n t P l a n e t
series of massive cisterns and rock-cut basins that brought water to the site through water channels. A nearby sign leads to the chapel of Agios Nikolaos, where one can enjoy a magnificent view over the sanctuary and the Corinthian gulf. The sanctuary of Hera, situated in a small cove of the gulf, is a complex of different structures, including the temples (Hera Limenia and Hera Akraia), the stoa, the apsidal cistern and the banquet building. The site was occupied from the 9th to the 2nd centuries BCE, originally under Corinthian influence. The architectural complex and its landscape, the rural cult practices, as well as the various finds (pottery, terracottas, bronzes, ivories) have been studied and published mainly by the British School of Athens.