The ancient Diolkos

One question has bothered the inhabitants of the Peloponnese since time immemorial - how can ships get from the Ionian Sea to the Aegean and vice versa without sailing all the way round the Peloponnese? In modern times we found our answer with the Corinth Canal, but did you know that the ancient Greeks found their own solution more than 2000 years ago?

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One question has bothered the inhabitants of the Peloponnese since time immemorial - how can ships get from the Ionian Sea to the Aegean and vice versa without sailing all the way round the Peloponnese? In modern times we found our answer with the Corinth Canal, but did you know that the ancient Greeks found their own solution more than 2000 years ago?  

In the 8th century BC the Corinthians had rich colonies in the West and important trade routes began to develop between these colonies and Ancient Corinth. It was clearly dangerous and time-consuming for ships to travel round the peninsula, so Periander, who was Tyrant of Corinth and one of the 7 wise men of ancient Greece, was determined to find a solution. His original idea, around 620 BC, might sound a bit familiar – he wanted to build a canal across the Isthmus. However, he eventually chose a more practical idea for the time – a road paved with large cobblestones so ships could be transported from one side to the other on wheeled carriages. In other words, the Diolkos.

The Diolkos was a road that stretched from the beach at Schinounda to the western end of today’s canal. The road was 8 km long and 3.5-5 m wide, and curved round hills rather than going over them to make it easier to transport the ships from one end to the other. In the middle of the stone road there were two deep, parallel grooves for the wheels of the Olkos, the long vehicle which carried the ships.

This was clearly a very labour-intensive process and thousands of slaves were used to pull the boats. The route was mainly used for light ships, mostly warships, when it was necessary to get quickly from one side of the isthmus to the other. Merchant ships left their goods at the port so they could be transported overland separately while the ships made their own journey on wheels. As soon as the ships were launched again, the cargo was re-loaded, and the journey continued...

A large part of the Diolkos was revealed between 1956-62 during excavation work led by Nikos Verdelis. 

Did you know that

There were several reasons why Periander did not go ahead with his idea of building a canal. Firstly the difference in sea level on the two sides would cause water from the Gulf of Corinth to flow into the Saronic Gulf with unknown consequences. He consulted the oracle at Delphi who gave a pretty clear opinion, saying "Neither fortify nor dig the Isthmus. Because Zeus made an island where he thought it was right." The priests of Corinth were not pleased with the idea either as they would lose the rich tributes and gifts given by the merchants. This was echoed by the inhabitants, who argued that the merchants would simply pass through Corinth rather than staying, so they would also lose revenue.

There is a unique animation film produced by the Technical Chamber of Greece and the Society for the Study of Ancient Greek Technology which shows how the Diolkos was used (in Greek).

Studies on restoring the ancient Diolkos are going ahead after the Central Archaeological Council voted unanimously in favour.

Location

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