Ancient Corinth
Corinth Κόρινθος Ϙόρινθος | |||||||||
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| 900 BC–146 BC | |||||||||
Silver tridrachm from Corinth, c. 345–307 BC
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Map of ancient Corinth | |||||||||
Reconstruction of the city of Corinth | |||||||||
| Capital | Corinth | ||||||||
| Common languages | Doric Greek | ||||||||
| Religion | Hellenism | ||||||||
| Government | Oligarchy | ||||||||
| Historical era | Classical Antiquity | ||||||||
• Founding | 900 BC | ||||||||
• Cypselus | 657–627 BC | ||||||||
| 146 BC | |||||||||
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Corinth (British English: /ˈkɒrɪnθ/ KORR-inth, American English: /ˈkɔːrɪnθ/; Greek: Κόρινθος Korinthos; Doric Greek: Ϙόρινθος; Latin: Corinthus) was a city-state (polis) on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnese to the mainland of Greece, roughly halfway between Athens and Sparta. The modern city of Corinth is located approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) northeast of the ancient ruins. Since 1896, systematic archaeological investigations of the Corinth Excavations by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens have revealed large parts of the ancient city, and recent excavations conducted by the Greek Ministry of Culture have brought to light important new facets of antiquity.
For Christians, Corinth is well known from the two letters of Saint Paul in the New Testament, First and Second Corinthians. Corinth is also mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles as part of Paul the Apostle's missionary travels. In addition, the second book of Pausanias' Description of Greece is devoted to Corinth.
Ancient Corinth was one of the largest and most important cities of Greece, with a population of 90,000 in 400 BC. The Romans demolished Corinth in 146 BC, built a new city in its place in 44 BC, and later made it the provincial capital of Greece.