It is common
knowledge by now that Corinth
was famous for having two harbors. As the city is straddling the isthmus
between mainland Greece and
the Peloponnesus (less than 4 miles wide), it needed an
access to both the eastern and the western side.
Lechaion, looking towards the Gulf of Corinth,
served the western sea routes to Italy,
Sicily and beyond to Spain. The harbor
of Kenchreai,
in turn, is situated on the Saronic Gulf from where the ships sailed to
and from the Aegean, Asia Minor, Syria and Egypt. Before the modern canal was
built, goods had to be transported overland from one port to the other. Lightweight
and heavy warships were hauled using a platform along the road connecting Lechaion
to Kenchreai.
This road is known as the Diolkos.
For more than
two thousand years this cobblestone road was the only means to move between the
eastern and the western harbor of Corinth,
unless one would round the Peloponnese
peninsula, a long and risky detour of about 190 miles.
Last year, a
thorough restoration project was set in motion to protect this ancient roadway,
which is still clearly visible in some areas. It ran over a distance of
approximately 5 miles
and had an amazing width that ranged from 3.5 and 6 meters. This marvel of
technology appears to have been created at the end 7th century/early
6th century BC. It was meant to transport goods as well as warships
across the isthmus, and functioned far into the Roman times.
So far, about 1,100 meters of the
western section of the Diolkos has been uncovered but it has not been traced on
the eastern side at the Saronic Gulf. It seems
that at its northwestern end, a paved platform had been constructed to tow the
ships on land. With the help of cranes, they were then placed on wheeled
structures and pulled by slaves using two main tracks running 1.5 meters apart.
Although the Diolkos
ran roughly parallel to the Corinth
Canal, it did not follow a straight
line. S-shaped turns in the road and grades of no more than 1.5% made progress
hazardous. To keep the ships on the tracks, the road was studded at places with
fortifying walls. A true prowess of engineering.
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