Day trip to the ancient city of wealth

Corinth is not as famous as Sparta or Olympia, but still, if you know its past, the place will offer a great experience. This is the place where the Corinthian order, Corinthian helmet was developed. This is the place where the first coin of Greece was created. The city was a prevailing economic power rivaled with Athens and Thebe through out the classical era. Classical Corinth was completely destroyed after a siege by Romans in 146 BC. The reconstruction was started by Julius Caesar from 40 BC, and the city became an economic center again in the Roman time. Most ruin you can see today is created during this period.

There are a bus from the bus terminal for Peloponnesos in Athens, but it will only stops at modern Corinth, and from there you have to take another one for ancient Corinth. its about 20 minutes.

The site is dotted with village houses and olive bush, which is a typical view of rural area. You can hardly imagine that there was a brilliant city state, whos merchant and ship traveled to most place of the Mediterranean, until the ruin of the Temple of Appolo and the theatre jumps into your sight. The ancient city is divided into mainly two parts, the upper agora with several temples, fountains and a museum, the lower part containing a theatre. Among the remains of the Roman agora, you can find  the fountain of Peirene and the lower fountain of Glauke, with the rhythm of their stream that echoed for 3000 years.

If you have some knowledge of ancient Greece, you may feel strange at the site. Where is the acropolis? Every ancient city was developed from settlement on a hill or small mountain, and later it became a fortress and sacred space for temples, called as acropolis. But you can find no such hill near the ruin of ancient agora. Ok, raise your eyes, so you can see a series of cliff far from where you are standing, the Acrocorinth. That was the acropolis of ancient Cotinth, which contained temple complex dedicated to Aphrodite, famous for its temple prostitutes. And has been used as a fortress through out the medieval time.

There are no bus travels from the village to Acrocorinth, so you have to use a taxi to get to the entrance. The fortress is very vast, and complicated. It seems the stone path has not been repaired for thousands of years, so bring a good pair of shoes. If you have enough time to spend, maybe you can find the remain of the Temple, or the upper fountain of Glauke. And try to climb to the top of it, so you can see Corinthia under your feet, and the Corinthian gulf.