Ancient harbor of Kenchreai

Corinth straddled the isthmus between mainland Greece and the Peloponnesus and relied on two harbors. Lechaion, faced the Gulf of Corinth and served the western sea routes to Italy, Sicily, and beyond to Spain. Kenchreai, in turn, was on the Saronic Gulf and received ships from the Aegean Sea, Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt. 

Kenchreai was named after Kenchrias, twin brother of Lechis, son of Peirine and Poseidon. The harbor took advantage of the natural capes that were extended with two breakwaters and horseshoe-shaped piers to form a large basin and create a separate commercial and military port. The greatest width of the harbor was 280 meters with a welcoming entrance of 120 meters wide. 

Recent excavations in the port exposed extensive warehouses, shops, and public buildings, most of them belonging to Roman times. They included a Temple to Aphrodite and Isis and an early Christian Basilica. 

Kenchreai yielded many artifacts, the most remarkable of which is a series of stained glass panels not unlike our modern stained glass windows, now in the Isthmia Museum. 

A wonderful Roman cemetery, largely unknown to the general public has been explored also. Its chamber and pit tombs cover the period from the 1^st to the 7^th century AD. Some of the tombs have kept their original painted decorations. The inside walls could be painted with architectural elements but also with mythical creatures, garlands, dolphins, ibis, herons, etc. 

The chamber tombs of Kenchreai were found inside a building that displayed a funerary inscription with the name of the tomb's owner and the dedication to his family, descendants, and sometimes to his freed slaves. Inside the tombs, niches could hold the body of the deceased or the urns in case of a cremation. These cremations took place on a pyre in a dedicated spot near the cemetery. It took a long time for the bones to burn completely, apparently at a temperature as high as 700°C. In the end, the remaining bones were removed from the ashes and placed inside the urn, which the mourners then took to the grave. 

The deceased were buried with the usual rich offerings such as gold jewelry, perfume bottles, clay figurines, marble statuettes, as well as common household utensils. 

Based on the care taken in the burial process and the decoration of the tombs leads scholars to believe that the dead belonged to the local upper class who wished to present themselves as members of a prominent society.

[Pictures from anagnostis.org] 

Landslide blocking the Canal of Corinth

Although the Canal of Corinth has been built way after Alexander’s days, it remains a vital infrastructure that he would have admired. After all, it connects both ancient harbors of Corinth, Lechaion and Kenchreai (see: Corinth before the canal was built) in a far more efficient and time-saving way than before. Until its completion in 1893, lightweight and heavy warships were hauled over the Diolkos from one side to the other using a platform along the connecting road. 

At present, the Canal is in the news because, in January 2021, a landslide occurred about halfway through this narrow channel. Huge rocks and all sorts of debris are clearly visible from the bridge above. 

Consequently, no ship can use this busy thoroughfare. From cargo ships to cruise ships and private yachts, all have now to sail around the entire peninsula of the Peloponnese. The cost for such a detour is much higher, which will have consequences for the transport industry as well as for tourism. Additionally, Greece is facing an increase in the expenses for fuel and transportation of merchandise in general. The people taking care of the Canal's operation are facing a lack of revenues pending the clearing of the waterway. 

The repair should be a priority for such a busy maritime passage, but a clear timetable is not available. It is estimated that the preliminary studies will be completed by September 2021, and the project will go up for a bid. Once the Ministry of Infrastructure & Transport has agreed on the price, the preliminary works on the walls of the Canal can begin.  

An estimation as to when the Canal of Corinth shall reopen to maritime traffic remains uncertain. 

Corinth before the canal was built

 It is common knowledge by now that Corinth was famous for having two harbors. As the city straddled the isthmus between mainland Greece and the Peloponnesus (less than 4 miles wide), it needed access to both the eastern and the western sides. 

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 to 6 meters. This marvel of technology appears to have been created at the end of the 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.

High stakes at Corinth

When Philip was proclaimed leader of all the Greeks at Corinth, he was clever enough to insert a clause in the treaty-making his title hereditary. Each state had individually sworn not to harm any other member of the Common Peace and not to interfere in their internal affairs. They also had sworn not to become allies with any foreign power that could damage any member of the Treaty. No member could undertake any operation that might endanger the peace or overthrow its constitution. The then assembled council or synedrion at Corinth was the final authority to settle any dispute between individuals or between member states. They had to help each other if one of the members was attacked but were not allowed to accept support from foreign powers.

This means that after the assassination of Philip in 336 BC, it was one of Alexander’s priorities to be accepted and confirmed as Hegemon of this League of Corinth.

Walking around the impressive remains of Corinth, crowned by the Temple of Apollo, which Alexander saw in all its glory, makes you wonder where these meetings took place. The most obvious location would be the theatre rebuilt early 4^th century BC on the foundations of an older one from the 5^th century BC. This theater could seat around 15,000 spectators, but there is very little left of this building. There is also a Bouleuterion behind the Agora to consider, but this turns out to be a Roman construction that didn’t exist in Philip’s days.

The Lechaion Street, which connected the center of Corinth to the western harbor of the same name, is one of the highlights of the city. In recent years, expert divers have been exploring the very harbor of Lechaion to expose the infrastructure of this important port city, locating two monumental piers built of ashlar blocks next to a smaller dock. They also found a canal entrance leading into Lechaion’s three inner harbors, as well as a breakwater.

Lechaion was only one of Corinth’s harbors, as the city strategically straddles the isthmus between mainland Greece and the Peloponnesus (less than 6 kilometers wide), which means that it needed both an eastern and a western harbor. Lechaion, on the Gulf of Corinth, served the western sea routes to Italy, Sicily, and beyond to Spain. The harbor of Kenchreai gave access to the Saronic Gulf from where the ships sailed to and from the Aegean, Asia Minor, Cyprus, Syria, and Egypt. Goods could be transported overland from one port to the other as lightweight ships were hauled using a platform along the road connecting Lechaion to Kenchreai. This was before Nero planned to dig a canal meant to link both sides, a plan that eventually materialized two thousand years later. The remains of Kenchreai Street are not as impressive as Lechaion Street, which is tucked away behind the shops of the Agora, but both were familiar to Alexander.

The Temple of Apollo certainly is the main landmark. It is built in Doric order, counting 6x15 columns, seven of which are still standing and define the skyline of Corinth. Rather unique is the fact that the columns are monolithic and stand more than seven meters tall. It is here that the slight convex floor to support the temple’s columns has been implemented for the first time, antedating the much-praised concept for the Parthenon in Athens! There is no trace of the bronze statue of Apollo that once stood inside the temple, as mentioned by Pausanias.

Another unmistakable feature in Corinth is the Fountain of Peirene, built in the late 6^th century BC and enhanced many times, especially by the Romans in the 2^nd century AD. Much older, and probably built together with the Temple of Apollo, is the adjacent Fountain of Glauke, an inelegant cube of about 7.5 meters. Inside is a succession of reservoirs with a total capacity of approximately 527 m3. Water management in antiquity was far more sophisticated than generally admitted.

Since its early beginning, Corinth was a booming trading hub in the eastern Mediterranean and has a lot to tell. For more than one thousand years, roughly from the 6^th century BC till the 6^th century AD, the city was at the center of all trade carried out by its mixed population of Greeks, Romans, and Jews, and later by early Christians as well. The importance of this city cannot be stressed enough, and few people know about the many colonies Corinth founded all over the Mediterranean. As early as 733 BC, the first such colonies were established at Corcyra (Corfu) and Syracuse (Sicily). Less than a century later, many more settlements followed, like Epidamnus (Dϋrres) and Apollonia (Fier), both in Illyria, modern Albania, as well as Potidaea in Chalcidice, Greece. Corinth was also one of the co-founders of Naucratis in ancient Egypt. These facts alone prove the overall importance of the city, which rivaled Athens and Thebes.

It is not difficult to imagine the hustle and bustle of people in Alexander’s days, merchants talking feverishly with buyers and sellers, while seafarers were seeking the distractions common to every port - temples, taverns, and brothels are the same all over the world. Sacrifices to the local and foreign gods were being made to thank them for their safe arrival and to pray for a safe journey onward. Corinth certainly was no exception.

If the story is true, it was here that Alexander met Diogenes (see: Alexander meeting Diogenes in Corinth). This Cynic philosopher originated from the Black Sea and died in Corinth the same year as Alexander, in 323 BC. Diogenes’ own writings have not survived, but were known by his disciple Onesicritus, who accompanied Alexander on his Asian campaigns. It may be thanks to him and Ptolemy that his philosophy slipped into the later Alexander Romance.

News from the sunken harbor of ancient Corinth

In recent years, underwater archaeology is definitely on the rise shedding light on so many unexpected remains from antiquity about which we could only guess till now. Corinth is no exception and as a booming trading hub in the eastern Mediterranean, it must have a lot to tell. For more than one thousand years, roughly from the 6^th century BC till the 6^th century AD, the city was at the center of trade carried out by its mixed population of Greeks, Romans, and Jews, later by early Christians as well.

For two years, expert divers from Greece and Denmark have been exploring the ancient harbor of Lechaion to expose the infrastructure of this important port-city. Recent discoveries have exposed two monumental piers built of ashlar blocks next to a smaller dock. They also have located a canal entrance leading into Lechaion’s three inner harbors, as well was a breakwater.

Lechaion is not the only harbor for we all know the strategic location of Corinth right on the isthmus between mainland Greece and the Peloponnesus (less than 4 miles wide), which meant that the city needed both an eastern and a western harbor. Lechaion, on the Gulf of Corinth, served the western sea routes to Italy, Sicily and beyond to Spain. The harbor of Kenchreai is situated on the Saronic Gulf from where the ships sailed to and from the Aegean, Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt. Goods could be transported overland from one port to the other and even lightweight ships were hauled using a platform along the road connecting Lechaion to Kenchreai. This, evidently, was before Nero’s idea to dig a canal to link both sides, a plan that eventually materialized nearly two millennia later.

The remains of the pier at Lechaion date from early Byzantine days and are constructed of six well-preserved wooden caissons over a total length of 57 meters. These caissons were, in fact, rectangular wooden boxes which could be floated into their assigned place where they were sunk by filling them with debris or concrete. This way a breakwater or pier could easily be constructed in order to protect the ships and their precious cargo. The principle was known but the wooden caissons in Lechaion are the first ever to be discovered. As the caissons and their fill slowly set in the seabed, the wood has been preserved, enabling today’s archaeologists to recreate their construction.

While they were at it, the underwater archaeologists have been carrying out geophysical surveys. The search is still on for Corinth’s naval base and hopefully some remains of the famous trireme ships that were built here (see: The trireme, a ship to remember).

[Pictures from the Haaretz]