Archaeological Site of Ancient Corinth

The Peloponnese has a wealth of archaeological sites, and Ancient Corinth is one of the most important and interesting. You will find it on the northern foothills of the Acrocorinth hill, where it is centred around the ancient Temple of Apollo. The monuments of the ancient city have been revealed by archaeological excavations, and Acrocorinth provides a spectacular backdrop for your explorations.

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Ancient Corinth Archaeological site is on northern foothills of the Acrocorinth hill, and is built around the ancient Temple of Apollo. It has been thoroughly excavated over the years and you can now see the famous city's Roman Agora as well as its temples, fountains, baths and other monuments. 

The whole area is rich in archaeological finds, from prehistoric settlements on the plain of Corinth to the items uncovered in the Acrocorinth Fortress. Indeed, to the south of the official Ancient Corinth archaeological site, excavations also found the coity’s theater, Roman conservatory, sanctuary of Asclepius and Hygieia, cemeteries, pottery workshops, Crusader Settlement and Venetian and Ottoman monuments.

WHAT TO SEE AT THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

The Temple of Apollo. This fine Doric temple dominates the central area of the Agora. The original temple was built between the early 7th and early 6th BC, but in the middle of the 6th BC the original temple was replaced by the Doric building we see today. Even although only 7 columns remain standing, it is still easy to imagine how impressive this temple must have been in its heyday.

The Glauke Fountain. The fountain is named after Glauke, who was the daughter of Creon, the King of Corinth. Glauke was ready to marry the hero Jason, but Medea, Jason’s first wife, gave her a poisoned wedding veil to get her revenge on Jason. Glauke plunged into the fountain in an attempt to save herself from the burning veil, but drowned. The fountain is almost entirely carved into the rock. 

The Agora. The Agora was a once a bustling area full of shops, small temples, an altar and the famous "Bema" where the Apostle Paul preached Christianity to the Corinthians in 52 AD.  The Bema was usually used by the Roman proconsul to address the citizens, but became widely known as the "Bema of the Apostle Paul" after Paul’s address. 

The Peirene Fountain. This impressive spring is near the Lechaion Road. Legend tells us that when Artemis accidentally killed Peirene’s son, Cenchrias, the distraught mother cried so much for her that this fountain was formed from her tears. The ancient Greek spring was altered significantly by the Romans, and the ruins we see today mostly date back to Roman times. There is another fountain, the Upper Pirene spring, in Acrokorinth.

The Roman Fountain in the South Portico is the most elegant Roman building in the site. An entrance with two columns led to a room with the fountain in its centre. The size, position and decoration show that this was part of a religious building.

Outside the main archaeological site is the conservatory, which was built at the end of the 1st century AD and renovated by Herodes Atticus.

A little further down you will find the city’s huge theatre. It is estimated that the theatre seated 18,000 spectators, and as well as the seating you can also see the remains of a stone stage dating from the 3rd BC. At the beginning of the 3rd AD the orchestra pit was turned into a Roman arena.

Further north, next to the ancient city wall and near the Lernaean spring, there are remains of the Gymnasium and the Asklepion, which was largely carved into the rock. The temple had a cella and a prodomos with 4 Doric columns. 

You can find detailed information on the Archaeological Museum of Ancient Corinth website

A great Peloponnese city
The foothills of Acrocorinth have a long story of human habitation. It seems that they were first settled in the Neolithic era, and this spot was presumably chosen as there was a good supply of drinking water and a fertile plain and the settlers also had absolute control over land communication between the Peloponnese and Central Greece. In fact, the location was so good that the settlement survived until the medieval years.

Corinth’s reached its peak in the 8th century when it established colonies, mainly in Corfu and Syracuse in Italy, and became the most important commercial destination in Greece.

Did you know that

Tel. archaeological site: 27410 31207.

Location

Find the destination on the interactive map below.