Most Recent Visit: May 2021 Near the narrowest part of the Corinthian Isthmus, less than a kilometer from the eventual site of the Corinthian Canal, the site known today as Isthmia began life as a localized sanctuary site. The name Isthmia is a modern description of the specific site, as the entire area of the…
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Most Recent Visit: May 2021 About 10 kilometers to the east of Corinth is the city’s Saronic Gulf port, Cenchreae (Kenchreia). According to the 2nd century CE writer Pausanias, the two ports of Corinth, Chenchreae, and its counterpart on the Gulf of Corinth, Lechaion, were named after the sons of the nymph Peirene with Poseidon;…
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Most Recent Visit: May 2021 A number of remains in the area of Corinth are worth visiting, but not quite enough to warrant their own post individually. Located less than a kilometer to the south/southwest of the ancient center of Corinth, is the fortress of Acrocorinth, literally Upper Corinth. The rocky outcropping juts up 575…
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Continued From Corinth Part II The northeast corner of Corinth’s forum is a bit messier and less orthogonal than the rest of the fairly rectilinear forum. Though during the Roman period it was covered over and the area was largely an open space, presently the remains of some elements of the Sacred Spring are now…
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Continued From Corinth Part I From the area of the Temple of Apollo, it’s worth moving on to the museum. As it is on-site and part of the archaeological park, it is essentially open and accessible whenever the park is. It is a pretty sizable museum for an on-site location. Upon entering, there’s a large…
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Most Recent Visit: May 2021 The history of Corinth, one of the more high profile ancient settlements in Greece, is, of course, quite extensive. As such, covering the entire history of Corinth in the sort of depth that I usually do for sites would likely take up a whole post or more. So, I’ve decided…
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Ancient Odessus (also called Odessos, Odesopolis, and Odyssos), the precursor to the bustling Black Sea port city of Varna in present-day Bulgaria, was originally founded by Greek colonists from Miletus in the first half of the 6th century BCE. Prior to the arrival of the Greeks, the area was inhabited by Thracian populations dating back…
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Tucked away among the foothills of the Cottian Alps in Northern Italy, the ancient settlement of Segusium is today located in the Val di Susa, which takes its name from the modern successor of Segusium, Susa. The settlement at the confluence of the modern Cenischia stream and the Dora Riparia (Dura Minor in antiquity) was…
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Located in the Apennine foothills of Umbria along the banks of the Sapis river (modern Savio) sat the ancient settlement of Sarsina. Also called Sasina in antiquity, the modern town of just a few thousand retains the ancient name. Prior to Roman hegemony, the settlement was located in the territory of the Sarsinates, who seem…
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The bustling port city of Ancona, on the Adriatic coast of Italy, seems to have begun life as a small settlement of the Italic Picentes, perhaps dating back to the 8th or 9th century BCE. It grew in importance, but, around 380 BCE a contingent of exiles from Syracuse, fleeing the rule of Dionysius I,…
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