Ancient Corinth and the temple of Apollo

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Go up to the castle Acrocorinth, walk to the archaeological site next to the imposing temple of Apollo and see the archaeological findings at the archaeological museum of ancient Corinth, a city that played an important role in the developments of Ancient Greece!

Ancient Corinth

Corinth was one of the most important cities of ancient Greece. Although it was inhabited from the Neolithic period, its prosperity began in the 8th century BC with significant political, military, commercial and cultural activity.

The establishment of colonies in the western Mediterranean, most importantly in Sicily , helped Corinth to emerge as one of the most important trading powers of the period.

Their most decisive colonial move was the foundation of the city of Syracuse , which became the most important city in Sicily.

Ancient Corinth was an important military member of the Greek alliance against the Persian invasion, contributing 40 ships to the naval battle of Salamis and 5,000 soldiers to the battle of Plataea.

However, the intense commercial competition with Athens was one of the most important reasons for the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC) and later allied with Athens against Sparta in the Corinthian War (395-387 BC).

The fall of Ancient Corinth

The fall of Ancient Corinth came with the predominance of the Romans in the Greek territories and specifically with the invasion of the Roman general Lefkius Mommios in the Peloponnese. In 146 BC, Leucius Mommius defeated the Greeks at the Isthmus of Corinth and almost completely leveled the city. In 44 BC the inhabitants returned to the city, which of course would never regain its former power and glory.

In 52 AD Corinth receives the visit of the Apostle Paul during his second apostolic tour in which, among other things, he writes the First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians. The Apostle Paul also visited Corinth on his third tour during which he wrote the “Epistle to the Romans“.

Ancient temple of Apollo, Ancient Corinth

The Temple of Apollo

The archaic temple of Apollo is more than 2,500 years old as it was built in 530 BC in Doric style. Today you have the opportunity to admire 7 of the monolithic columns that have withstood the passage of time and the disasters that Ancient Corinth has experienced in its long history. It is worth taking the time to walk around and see the other monuments and findings of the archaeological site and visit the important archaeological museum of Corinth.