Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: Κόρινθος

When hearing or reading the words Corinth Canal, almost everyone has in front of them the image of the straight canal with its steep, almost perpendicular walls (PiP4) and the bridges connecting the two banks high above the water. But at the western end of the canal close to Corinth it looks very different; no high cliffs and an almost flat landscape and a ‘sinking’ bridge, connecting Corinth/Poseidonia with Loutraki. The bridge - like the one at the other end of the canal near Isthmia - was constructed in 1988. The bridge lowers its deck 8 meters below water level, permitting waterborne traffic to use the waterway. We had to wait some time, because ships can only pass through the canal on a one-way system. The waiting was rewarded with a spectacular view of the subducting and rising bridge. After that we could cross the bridge on our way to Loutraki (PiP3).

The Temple of Apollo in Ancient Corinth is one of the earliest Doric temples in Greece. It is the most important monument in the old city. The temple was built around 560 BC of local limestone on top of a low hill and dominates the archaeological site. The Temple of Apollo was a symbol for Corinth, reflecting its growth and prosperity. The temple once had 42 monolithic, limestone columns (6×15), which were more than 7 meters high. Its central structure was divided into three rooms. When the city of Corinth was refounded by the Romans the Temple of Apollo was renovated in order to house the cult of the Emperor. In the Byzantine era a basilica was built on the northeast part of the temple hill. In the Ottoman period, the eastern part of the temple was demolished and a new residence of the local Turkish Bey was built. Today there are only seven standing columns and its foundations are preserved, yet the monument is the emblem of the Archaeological Site of Ancient Corinth.

(Ancient) Corinth was first inhabited in the Neolithic period (5000-3000 BC). The peak period of the town started in the 8th century BC. Representative of its wealth is the Temple of Apollo, built in 550 BC. The city was situated Isthmus of Corinth, which connects the Peloponnese with central Greece and which also separates the Saronic and Corinthian Gulfs from each other. Its position gave Corinth great strategic and commercial importance in ancient times. It therefore developed into a healthy commercial, political and industrial city state. The Romans destroyed Ancient Corinth in 146 BC, but it was later restored by Julius Caesar. The city was re-inhabited in 44 B.C. and gradually developed again.The centre of the Roman city was organized to the south of the temple of Apollo and included shops, small shrines, fountains, baths and other public buildings. The invasion of the Herulians in the year of 267, initiated the decline of the city, though it remained inhabited for many centuries through successive invasions and destructions, until it was liberated from the Turks in 1822. First excavations were conducted in 1892.The systematic excavations of the area started 1896 and are still continuing today. They have brought to light the agora, temples, fountains, shops, porticoes, baths and various other monuments. The finds are exhibited in the Archaeological Museum (PiP5) inside the archaeological site of Ancient Corinth.