Ancient Corinth

Temple of Apollo

The last stop on our Ancient History tour was to ancient Corinth.  Those of the Christian faith will recognize this as a place where the Apostle Paul traveled to preach and convert people to Christianity.  Paul lived here over a year and his letters to the Corinthians are some of the most quoted verses from the Bible.

Unlike Epidavros and Mycenae, Corinth was not nearly as crowded with tourists.  While there was a bus in the parking lot, it felt as though we had the place to ourselves.  We probably should have researched a little more before we went as the ancient site wasn't well marked and there weren't any brochures or literature to guide us.  Even so, it still felt remarkable to walk in the footsteps of Paul.

Pop standing in the Bema where Paul was on trial

We did learn that Paul was a tent maker and lived with a couple who were also tent makers.  When he wasn't preaching, he was working in the market alongside everyday Corinthians repairing awnings and such.  Paul was arrested and put on trial for his preachings, but the Roman governor viewed this as a local dispute between Jews and Paul was released.  After leaving Corinth, Paul continued on to Ephesus.  We were able to see the ruins of the Hema, the building where Paul would have been on trial, and perhaps stand in the very spot he did.

It was an interesting juxtaposition to see the Temple of Apollo and realize that this was still in existence and actively used while Paul was in Corinth.  The idea of worshipping Jesus versus Apollo or Athena had to be jarring to the 

Corinthians, yet Paul planted a seed and was able to establish a church here.

Corinth Canal

After leaving ancient Corinth, we made a brief stop at the Corinth Canal.  The canal itself was constructed in the late 1880s so it's not particularly ancient, but the idea of such a canal can be traced as far back as the 7th century B.C.   The canal connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea and saves a 450 mile journey around the Peloponnese.  However, it's only 70 feet wide and 26 feet deep so most modern ships cannot use it relegating most of the journeys through to tourist boats.  Still, it's an impressive feat to have carved out this canal through the rock.