Corinth before the canal was built

 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. 

[Picture from Haaretz] 

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 7^th century/early 6^th 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.