Εμφανίζονται 22 τίτλοι με αναζήτηση: Πληροφορίες για τον τόπο στην ευρύτερη περιοχή: "ΛΟΥΤΡΑΚΙ ΠΕΡΑΧΩΡΑΣ Δήμος ΚΟΡΙΝΘΙΑ" .
ΣΤΡΑΒΑ (Ορμος) ΛΟΥΤΡΑΚΙ ΠΕΡΑΧΩΡΑΣ
Πευκόφυτη περιοχή με θερινές κατοικίες.
ΛΟΥΤΡΑΚΙ ΠΕΡΑΧΩΡΑΣ (Δήμος) ΚΟΡΙΝΘΙΑ
ΙΣΘΜΟΣ ΚΟΡΙΝΘΟΥ (Ισθμός) ΛΟΥΤΡΑΚΙ ΠΕΡΑΧΩΡΑΣ
Η Διώρυγα Κορίνθου αποτελεί ένα διεθνή κόμβο θαλάσσιων συγκοινωνιών
που εξυπηρετεί πλοία ερχόμενα από την Δυτική Μεσόγειο με κατεύθυνση λιμάνια της
Ανατολικής Μεσογείου και της Μαύρης θάλασσας και αντίστροφα.
Η Διώρυγα Κορίνθου τέμνει κατ' ευθεία γραμμή τον Ισθμό της Κορίνθου
και το μήκος της ανέρχεται στα 6.343 μέτρα. Το ελάχιστο πλάτος της διώρυγας στο
ύψος της θάλασσας είναι 24,6 μέτρα και στον βυθό 21 μέτρα. Το βάθος της Διώρυγας
ανέρχεται στα 8 μέτρα.
Το κείμενο παρατίθεται τον Οκτώβριο 2004 από την ακόλουθη ιστοσελίδα, με φωτογραφίες, της Διαχείρισης Διώρυγας Κορίνθου Περίανδρος Α.Ε.
The most important part of the territory of Corinth was the Isthmus,
both as the place across which merchandise was carried from the eastern to the
western sea, and more especially as hallowed by the celebration of the Isthmian
games. The word Isthmus (Isthmos) probably comes from the root i, which appears
in i-enai to go, and the Latin i-re, and hence originally meant a passage. From
being the proper name of this spot, it came to be applied to the neck of any peninsula.
The situation of the Isthmus, a stony plain lying between the mountain barriers
of the Geraneia on the north and the Oneia on the south, has been already described.
The word was used both in a wider and a narrower signification. In its wider use
it indicated the whole land lying between the two gulfs, and hence Corinth is
said to have been situated on the Isthmus (Korinthos epi toi Isthmoi keimenos,
Strab. viii. p. 380; Corinthum in Isthimo condidit, Vell. Pat. i. 3): in its more
restricted sense it was applied to the narrowest part of the Isthmus, and especially
to the neighbourhood of the Poseideium and the locality of the Isthmian games
ten eis Kenchreas lonton ex Isthmou, Paus. ii. 2. § 3; ta Isthmoi dgalmata,, Philostr.
Vit, Her. 5.) Most of the Greek writers make the breadth of the Isthmus 40 stadia..
(Strab. viii. p. 335; Diod. xi. 16; Scylax, p. 15.) Pliny states it as 5 miles
(iv. 4. s. 5), and Mela 4 miles (ii. 3). The last statement is the most correct,
the real breadth being about 3 1/2 English miles in direct distance. In the Byzantine
time it was called to hexamilion, the name which the village on the Isthmus still
bears, and which was also given to the Isthmus of Mount Athos.
The only town on the Isthmus in ancient times was Schoenus on the
Saronic gulf. (ho Schoinous, viii. p. 380; Portus Schoenitas, Mel. ii. 3.) Situated
at the narrowest part of the Isthmus, it was the port of the Isthmian sanctuary,
and the place at which goods, not intended for the Corinthian market, were transported
across the Isthmus by means of the Diolcos. This harbour, which is now called
Kalamaki, is exposed to the east and south-east: the site of the town is indicated
by a few fragments of Doric columns. The Isthmian sanctuary lies rather less than
a mile south-east of Schoenus. It was a level spot, of an irregular quadrangular
form, containing the temple of Poseidon and other sanctuaries, and was surrounded
on all tides by a strong wall, which can still be clearly traced. The northern
and north-eastern parts of the enclosure were protected by the wall, which extended
across the Isthmus, and of which we shall speak presently. On the other sides
it was shut in by its own walls, which are in some cases more than 12 feet thick.
The enclosure is about 640 feet in length; but its breadth varies, being about
600 feet broad on the north and northeast, but only 300 feet broad at its southern
end. Its form, as well as the way in which it was connected with the Isthmic wall,
is shown in the annexed plan copied from Curtius, which is taken with a slight
improvement from Leake. The interior of the enclosure is a heap of ruins, which
in consequence of earthquakes and other devastating causes have been so mixed,
that it is impossible without extensive excavations to discover the ground-plan
of the different buildings.
Pausanias's account of the Isthmian sanctuary is unusually brief and
unsatisfactory (ii. 1). He came to it from the port. Towards his left he saw the
stadium and theatre, both constructed of white marble, of which there are still
some vestiges. Both lay outside the sacred enclosure, the stadium towards the
south, and the theatre towards the west, Here the Isthmian games were celebrated;
and these buildings were connected with the sacred enclosure by a grove of pine
trees. (Strab. viii. p. 380.) The main gate of the sanctuary appears to have been
in the eastern wall, through which Pausanias entered. The road leading from this
gate to the temple of Poseidon, was lined on one side by the statues of conquerors
in the Isthmian games, and on the other side by a row of pine trees. Upon the
temple, which was not large, stood Tritons, probably serving as weather-cocks,
like the Triton on the Horologium of Andronicus Cyrrhestes at Athens. In the pronaus
Pausanias saw two statues of Poseidon, and by their side statues of Amphitrite
and Thalassa. The principal ornament of the cella was a magnificent gift of Herodes
Atticus, consisting of four gilded horses with ivory hoofs, drawing the chariot
of Poseidon, Amphitrite and Palaemon. The chariot rested upon a base, on which
were represented in bas-relief Thalassa with her child Aphrodite in the centre,
while on either side were the Nereids. The fragments of Doric columns found within
the enclosure may be assigned to this temple. Leake measured the end of the fluting
of one of these shafts, and found it ten inches and a half.
Within the sacred enclosure, to the west, was the Palaemonion, consisting
of two sanctuaries, one above ground, containing statues of Poseidon, Leucothea,
and Palaemon; and a subterraneous adytum, where Palaemon was said to have been
buried. This adytum was the most sacred spot in the Isthmus, since the festival
was originally in honour of Palaemon. Poseidon was subsequently substituted for
this local divinity as the patron god of the festival; but Palaemon continued
to receive special honour, and in his adytum the most sacred oaths were sworn.
Pausanias also mentions an ancient sanctuary, called the altar of the Cyclopes.
Sisyphus and Neleus were said to have been buried here, but the site of their
graves was unknown.
These are all the buildings in the Isthmic sanctuary mentioned by
Pausanias; but we learn, from an inscription discovered by Wheeler in 1676, and
now preserved at Verona, that there were several other buildings besides. (See
the inscription in Bockh, Corp. Inscr. n. 1104.) It contains a list of the Isthmian
edifices erected by Publius Licinius Priscus Juventianus, high priest for life
at Roman Corinth. He built lodgings for the athletae, who came to the Isthmian
games from the whole world. He erected, at his own expense, the Palaemonium, with
its decorations;--the enagisterion, probably the subterraneous adytum, spoken
of by Pausanias;--the sacred avenue;--the altars of the native gods, with the
peribolus and the pronaos (perhaps the sanctuary containing the altars of the
Cyclopes);--the houses in which the athletae were examined;--the temple of Helios,
together with the statue and peribolus;--moreover, the peribolus of the Sacred
Grove, and within it temples of Demeter, Core, Dionysus and Artemis, with their
statues, decorations and pronai. He repaired the temples of Eueteria, of Core,
of Pluto, and the steps and terrace-walls, which had fallen into decay by earthquakes
and antiquity. He also decorated the portico at the Stadium, with the arched apartments
and the decorations belonging to them.
It has been already mentioned that the northern portion of the walls
which surrounded the Isthmic sanctuary belonged to a line of fortification, which
extended at one period across the Isthmus. This wall may still be traced in its
whole extent across the narrowest part of the Isthmus, beginning at the bay of
Lechaeum and terminating at the bay of Schoenus. It was fortified with square
towers on its northern side in the direction of Megaris, showing that it was intended
for the defence of Peloponnesus against attacks from the north. It was not built
in a straight line, but followed the crest of a range of low hills, the last falls
of the Oneian mountains. The length of the wall, according to Boblaye, is 7300
metres, while the breadth of the Isthmus at its narrowest part is only 5950 metres.
At what period this wall was erected, is uncertain. The first Isthmian wall, mentioned
in history, was the one thrown up in haste by the Peloponnesians when Xerxes was
marching into Greece. (Herod. viii. 71; Diod. xi. 66.) But this was a work of
haste, and could not have been the same as the massive walls, of which the remains
are extant. Moreover, it is evident from the military operations in the Corinthia,
recorded by Thucydides and Xenophon, that in their time the Isthmus was not defended
by a line of fortifications: the difficulties of an invading army always begin
with the passes through the Oneian mountains. Diodorus (xv. 68) speaks of a temporary
line of fortifications, consisting of palisades and trenches, which were thrown
across the Isthmus by the Spartans and their allies, to prevent the Thebans from
marching into Peloponnesus (B.C. 369), from which it clearly appears that there
was no permanent wall. Moreover, Xenophon (Hell. vii. 1. § 15, seq.) does not
even mention the palisading and trenches, but places the Lacedaemonians and their
allies upon the Oneian mountains. It is not till we come to the period of the
decline of the Roman empire, that we find mention of the Isthmian wall. It was
then regarded as an important defence against the invasions of the barbarians.
Hence, it was restored by Valerian in the middle of the third century (Zosim.
i. 29), by Justinian towards the end of the sixth (Procop. de Aedif. iv. 2), by
the Greeks against the Turks in 1415, and after it had been destroyed by the Turks
it was rebuilt by the Venetians in 1463. It was a second time destroyed by the
Turks; and by the treaty of Carlowitz, in 1699, the remains of the old walls were
made the boundary line between the territories of the Turks and Venetians.
The Isthmian wall formed with the passes of the Geraneian and with
those of the Oneian mountains three distinct lines of defence, which are enumerated
in the following passage of Claudian (de Bell. Get. 188):
Vallata mari Scironia rupes,
Et duo continuo connectens aequora muro Isthmus,
et angusti patuerunt claustra Lechaei.
A short distance north of the Isthmian wall, where the ground was
the most level, was the Diolcos (diolkos, Strab. viii. p. 335). It was a level
road, upon which smaller vessels were drawn by moving rollers from one sea to
the other. The cargoes of those ships, which were too large for this mode of transport,
were unloaded, carried across, and put on board other vessels upon the opposite
coast Hence we find the expressions diisthmein tas naus, huperisthmein (Pol. iv.
19), huperpherein (Thus. viii. 7), dielkuein (Diod. iv. 56). In some seasons of
the year there was an uninterrupted traffic upon the Diolcos, to which allusion
is made in one of the jokes of Aristophanes (Thesmoph. 647).
The narrow breadth of the Isthmus, and the important traffic across
it, frequently suggested the idea of cutting a canal through it. This project
is said to have been formed by Periander (Diog. Laert. i. 99), Demetrius Poliorcetes
(Strab. i. p. 54), Julius Caesar (Dion Cass. xliv. 5; Suet. Caes. 44; Plut. Caes.
58), Caligula (Suet. Calig. 21), Nero, and Herodes Atticus (Philostr. Vit. Soph.
ii. 6). But the only one who actually commenced the work was Nero. This emperor
opened the undertaking with great pomp, and cut out part of the earth with his
own hands; but the work had advanced only four stadia, when he was obliged to
give it up, in consequence of the insurrection of Julius Vindex in Gaul. (Dion
Cass. lxv. 16; Suet. Ner. 19; Paus. ii. 1, § 5; Plin. iv. 4. s. 5; Lucian, de
Fossa Isthmi.) The canal was commenced upon the western shore close to the Diolcos,
and traces of it may still be seen at right angled to the shore. It has now little
depth; but it is 200 feet wide, and may be traced for about 1200 yards. It ceased
where the rocky ground begins to rise; for even the Isthmus is not a perfect level,
but rises gradually from either shore, and steeper from the eastern than the western
side. Curtius says that the highest point is 246 feet above. the level of the
sea. The existing remains of the canal leave no doubt respecting its position;
but since it was said by some authorities to commence apo tou Lechaiou, Chandler
erroneously concluded that it commenced at the port of Lechaeum. Leake, however,
has shown that the bay of the Corinthian gulf at the Isthmus bore the name of
Lechaeum, and that we are to understand the bay, and not the port, in the passages
referred to.
This extract is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited June 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
An isthmus between the Saronicus Sinus and Corinthiacus Sinus, and uniting the Peloponnesus to the northern parts of Greece. Its breadth, in the narrowest part, was less than six miles (or not quite five miles). It has lately (1893) been cut by a canal. Ships were drawn, by means of machinery, from one sea to the other, near the town of Schoenus, over the narrowest part of the isthmus, which was called Diolkos. This could only be accomplished, however, with the vessels usually employed in commerce, or with lemboi, which were light ships of war, chiefly used by the Illyrians and Macedonians. The tediousness and expense attending this process, and still more probably the difficulty of circumnavigating the Peloponnesus, led to frequent attempts, at various periods, for effecting a junction between the two seas; but all proved equally unsuccessful. Demetrius Poliorcetes abandoned the enterprise, because it was found that the two gulfs were not on the same level. We read of the attempt having been made before his time by Periander and Alexander, and, subsequently to Demetrius, by Iulius Caesar, Caligula, Nero, and Herodes Atticus. Dio Cassius tells nearly the same story about digging through the isthmus as that which is related to travellers at this day. He says that blood issued from the ground; that groans and lamentations were heard, and terrible apparitions seen. In order to stimulate the perseverance of the people, Nero took a spade and dug himsel . Lucian informs us, that Nero was said to have been deterred from proceeding, by a representation made to him, similar to that which Demetrius received respecting the unequal levels of the two seas. The Isthmus of Corinth derived great celebrity from the games which were celebrated there every five years in honour of Palaemon or Melicerta, and subsequently of Poseidon. These continued in vogue when the other gymnastic exercises of Greece had fallen into neglect and disuse; and it was during their solemnization that the independence of Greece was proclaimed, after the victory of Cynoscephalae, by order of the Roman Senate and people. After the destruction of Corinth, the superintendence of the Isthmian Games was committed to the Sicyonians by the Romans; on its restoration, however, by Iulius Caesar, the presidency of the games again reverted to the Corinthian settlers.
This text is cited Sep 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
ΣΧΟΙΝΟΥΣ (Αρχαίο λιμάνι) ΛΟΥΤΡΑΚΙ ΠΕΡΑΧΩΡΑΣ
A harbour of Corinth at the narrowest part of the Isthmus.
ΙΣΘΜΙΑ (Αρχαίο ιερό) ΛΟΥΤΡΑΚΙ ΠΕΡΑΧΩΡΑΣ
ΙΣΘΜΟΣ ΚΟΡΙΝΘΟΥ (Ισθμός) ΛΟΥΤΡΑΚΙ ΠΕΡΑΧΩΡΑΣ
ΛΙΜΝΗ ΒΟΥΛΙΑΓΜΕΝΗΣ ΛΟΥΤΡΑΚΙΟΥ (Λιμνοθάλασσα) ΛΟΥΤΡΑΚΙ ΠΕΡΑΧΩΡΑΣ
Near the W end of the promontory is Lake Eschatiotis (modern Vouliagmene) along whose W shore there are remains of an ancient road that Swings W past a 4th c. B.C. fountain-house and through the town of Heraion. Below and N of the fortified acropolis are foundations of archaic and Classical houses.
ΗΡΑΙΟΝ (Αρχαίο ιερό) ΛΟΥΤΡΑΚΙ ΠΕΡΑΧΩΡΑΣ
A large promontory at the E end of the Corinthian Gulf N of the Isthmus
and opposite ancient Corinth. On the summit of Lutraki Mountain, which commands
the promontory, are remains of a small Classical building, perhaps a temple. Other
sites in the region include Therma (modern Lutraki) where a stone lion now in
Copenhagen was found; the Classical fort of Oinoi on the N side of Mt. Gerania;
a large ancient cemetery at the modern village of Perachora, the finding-place
of a stone lion now in Boston; a small Classical settlement with cemetery at Monasteri;
a larger one at Asprocampo with several archaic inscriptions. The most important
site in Perachora is Heraion, a fortified town with Sanctuaries of Hera. It has
been excavated. Finds are in the National Museum of Athens.
Originally in Megarian hands, the promontory and Heraion were taken
over by Corinth ca. 750-725 B.C. Argive imports are prominent in the earliest
deposits at Heraion. A flourishing center until the end of the Classical period,
Heraion's shrines received vast quantities of rich dedications. In the Corinthian
War, 391-390 B.C., Perachora served as grazing land and a supply center of sufficient
importance to merit an attack by Agesilaus. Both 4th c. and Hellenistic buildings
attest considerable activity at Heraion, but after the Roman sack of 146 B.C.
the site almost died out. Only a few Roman houses occupied it.
Near the W end of the promontory is Lake Eschatiotis (modern Vouliagmene)
along whose W shore there are remains of an ancient road that Swings W past a
4th c. B.C. fountain-house and through the town of Heraion. Below and N of the
fortified acropolis are foundations of archaic and Classical houses. Beyond the
town a valley falls off towards the sea, at the E end of which is the Temenos
of Hera Limenia, a rectangular enclosure with a temple lacking porch and colonnade
and built ca. 750 B.C. Inside the temple was a small altar with four low curbstones,
three of which were reused stelai inscribed in the early Corinthian alphabet with
dedications to Hera and originally carrying votive spits. This temenos, which
produced the greatest deposits of votive objects until ca. 400 B.C., is one of
the richest minor sanctuaries in Greece. West of the temenos is a circular pool
in which 200 bronze phialai of the 6th c. B.C. were found, probably indicating
the presence of an oracle (cf. Strab. 8.380). West of the pool is a large Hellenistic
cistern with apsidal ends and a row of stone piers down the center. South of this
lies a contemporary building with three large rooms, one of which contains couches.
Bordering the small harbor on the NE is an L-shaped stoa of the late
4th c. B.C. The building had two stories and is the earliest known stoa with an
Ionic order standing above a normal Doric. A large, archaic triglyph altar at
the Wend of the stoa served the Temple of Hera Akraia. Ionic columns built round
the altar ca. 400 B.C. probably supported a canopy. North of the altar are the
meager traces of a late 9th c. B.C. Temple of Hera Akraia, the earliest on the
site, which survived until ca. 725 B.C. Among the finds in the Geometric deposit
were clay models of buildings imported from Argos. To the W is the 6th c. B.C.
Temple of Hera Akraia, a long, narrow structure consisting of a simple cella with
a Doric porch at the E, and divided longitudinally by two low walls which supported
two rows of Doric columns. A cross-wall runs in front of the base for the cult
statue. The base is later, as shown by a foundation deposit of the early 4th c.
B.C. The roof was of marble tiles decorated with lateral acroteria of flying Nikai.
South of the temple is an enclosed court with an L-shaped portico of wooden and
stone pillars, which remained in use ca. 540-146 B.C. Built diagonally across
it was a Roman house of the 2d c. On the lighthouse rock are cisterns, a Classical
house, and a long stretch of Classical fortification wall on the N.
R. Stroud, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
ΙΣΘΜΙΑ (Αρχαίο ιερό) ΛΟΥΤΡΑΚΙ ΠΕΡΑΧΩΡΑΣ
In ancient literature, the name refers to the Isthmian Festival, held
every two years in the Sanctuary of Poseidon on the Isthmus of Corinth. As a geographical
designation "Isthmia," with accent on the second syllable, is a modern
form.
The Corinthians credited their king Sisyphos with the founding of
the Isthmian Games at the funeral of the boy Melikertes-Palaimon, who was drowned
in the Saronic Gulf and brought to the Isthmus on the back of a dolphin; the Athenians
claimed that their hero Theseus was the founder. In the 49th Olympiad, 582-578
B.C., the games were reorganized as a Panhellenic festival and were thenceforth
held biennially in the spring, in even years B.C. and in odd years A.D. The Corinthians
had charge of the games except for a time after the destruction of Corinth in
146 B.C., when the Sikyonians assumed management and possibly transferred the
games to Sikyon.
The cult of Poseidon was established as early as the 8th c. B.C. The
first temple, built about 700 B.C., was a Doric building with 7 x 19 wooden columns.
The walls were of stone, with painted panels on the exterior. East of the temple
was a large sacrificial area, now strewn with ash, burned animal bones, and smooth
pebbles, the latter probably brought by worshipers to be used for symbolic participation
in the slaying of the victims. The archaic temple was destroyed by fire about
470 B.C. and a new temple, also Doric, with 6 x 13 columns, was erected before
450 B.C. Severely damaged by fire in 390 B.C., it was restored and remained standing
until Early Christian times. A marble torso of a colossal female figure, found
in the temple, is probably from a cult statue of Amphitrite, worshiped together
with Poseidon. A later cult group, described by Pausanias, consisted of chryselephantine
statues of Poseidon and Amphitrite standing in a four-horse chariot flanked by
tritons. There was also a statue of Palaimon nearby. An altar, 40 m long, stood
E of the temple. Pebbles like those from the sacrificial area of earlier times
lie scattered along the front of the altar foundation.
A little to the SW of the temple but outside the precinct proper,
is an immense well, ca. 5 in in diameter and nearly 20 in deep. Abandoned as a
well about the middle of the 5th c. B.C., it was subsequently used as a refuse
pit.
Little remains of the precinct wall from the Greek period except foundations
of two propylons, one on the E, the other on the N. In the 1st c. A.D. a precinct
of smaller size was built with a gateway at the E end and probably one at the
W. A new altar of more modest dimensions was then constructed. Still later the
temenos was enlarged as a quadrangle with stoas of the Ionic order on the S, E,
and W, and a precinct wall on the N. No altar from that period has been discovered;
it may have stood on the earlier altar foundation close to the temple. There was
a monumental propylon in the SE corner and two smaller gateways, one at the E
end, the other at the W.
Adjacent to the SE corner of the Precinct of Poseidon was the Palaimonion,
an extensive cult area covering the NW end of the abandoned earlier stadium. All
the buildings are of Roman date. The precinct contained three sacrificial pits
and a circular temple, underneath which is a crypt in which oaths were administered.
Terracotta lamps, found scattered in front of the temple, would have been used
in the nocturnal rites of the mystery cult, at which black bullocks were sacrificed
to the hero. In the temple was a statue of Melikertes-Palaimon lying on a dolphin.
The earlier stadium, which was close to the Temple of Poseidon, measured
ca. 192 m in length. It had 16 lanes with unique starting gates (balbides) of
wood erected on a stone sill. In its second period the racecourse was shortened
to ca. 181 m. A new starting line was made of stone with a single groove and with
wooden posts set in lead. In Hellenistic times this stadium was abandoned and
a new stadium built in a natural hollow some 250 m from the Precinct of Poseidon.
The theater is located some fifty m to the NE of the Precinct of Poseidon.
Its original construction, with rectilinear orchestra, goes back to about 400
B.C. It was twice rebuilt in Greek times and twice by the Romans, first probably
for Nero's visit in A.D. 67 and again a century later. Both Roman reconstructions
remained unfinished.
Above the theater is a cult cave divided into two compartments, each
provided with dining couches. The chambers were entered through open courts in
which meals were prepared to be served inside, probably to members of some sacred
guild. The cave fell into disuse about 350 B.C. In the NE corner of the Poseidon
precinct was a similar cave, also with two chambers, and close to it a raised
area which probably held an altar. West of the Temple of Poseidon are the W waterworks,
containing a small room with a water tank; this may have functioned as a baptisterion
in some cult of Chthonic deities. There is a well-preserved underground reservoir
a little NW of the temple. South of the sanctuary is a prominent ridge, on which
are ruins of a textile establishment dating from Hellenistic times.
Some 400 m SW of the Poseidon precinct was the Sacred Glen, which
contained shrines of Artemis, Dionysos, Demeter and Kore, and Eueteria. About
2 km W of the temple is a pi-shaped foundation which must have supported some
unroofed structure, perhaps the cult place of some deity or hero worshiped in
connection with the horse races. The hippodrome may have been close to the monument.
The movable finds from the excavations are to be exhibited in a museum,
now being constructed close to the modern road S of the Precinct of Poseidon.
It will house the antiquities from the Isthmian sanctuary as well as those from
Kenchreai and from other nearby sites. Among the sculptures from Isthmia is a
large marble bowl, perirrhanterion, carried on the heads of four female figures,
each standing on a lion and holding its tail in one hand and a leash in the other.
This sophisticated piece from about 650 B.C. stood at the entrance into the archaic
temple and served worshipers and priests for the ritual washing of hands.
O. Broneer, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains 35 image(s), bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
ΙΣΘΜΟΣ ΚΟΡΙΝΘΟΥ (Ισθμός) ΛΟΥΤΡΑΚΙ ΠΕΡΑΧΩΡΑΣ
Neck of land, 5,857 m wide at its narrowest point, joining the Peloponnesos
to the mainland of Greece. Neolithic and Bronze Age pottery discovered in several
places there shows early occupation of the area. East of it an inscribed stele
marked the boundary between Corinth and Megara. Mythology tells of a dispute between
Poseidon and Helios for possession of the land; Briareos, who was appointed arbitrator,
decided in favor of Poseidon.
The Isthmus formed a bridge for land traffic and a barrier to E-W
shipping, and attempts were made early to facilitate passage from sea to sea.
In the 6th c. B.C. a causeway (diolkos), 3.60-4.20 m wide, was constructed, the
pavement of which has been exposed for a distance of nearly 1 km near the Corinthian
Gulf. On it ships were hauled on cradles, as shown by deep wheel ruts, 1.50 m
apart. The diolkos was still in use in the 9th c. A.D.
Plans to dig a canal were conceived by Periander, Demetrios Poliorketes,
Julius Caesar, Caligula, Nero, and Herodes Atticus. Nero broke ground for a canal
during his visit to Greece in A.D. 67. Two of his trenches, 2,000 and 1,500 m
long but nowhere reaching water level, and several pits, 37-42 m deep, were clearly
visible before the modern canal was dug in 1881-93. Traces of Nero's work still
remain.
To protect themselves and the Peloponnesos from attacks by land, the
Corinthians fortified the Isthmus. The earliest of the walls, which dates back
to about 1200 B.C., may have been planned to stem the recurrent waves of Dorian
invaders at the end of the Mycenaean period. It was probably left unfinished when
the decisive invasion took place. The next line of defense, built in haste in
480 B.C. against an expected Persian attack that never materialized, has left
no sure traces. There are extensive remains of a later fortification, built probably
in 279 B.C., when the Gauls, who overran the N of Greece, threatened invasion
of the Peloponnesos. This wall crossed the Isthmus so far to the W as to leave
the Precinct of Poseidon (see Isthmia) and large parts of Corinthian territory
open to the attackers. There are also references to a wall built in the reign
of Valerian (A.D. 253-60). The Wall of Justinian, which can be followed through
most of its course, had originally 153 towers on the N side, spaced at intervals
of about 40 m. Near the E end, close to the Sanctuary of Poseidon, there is a
massive fortress whose walls abut against the trans-Isthmus wall. The fortress
and much of the Isthmus wall are constructed largely out of reused material from
the sanctuary. Recent excavations (1967-69) tend to show that these walls are
earlier than Justinian; if this is correct, they must have been rebuilt during
his reign. The fortress has three gates: the NE Gate, incorporating an earlier
Roman gateway; the S Gate, built or repaired by Justinian's engineer Victorinus;
and a smaller gate in the W wall. Repairs were again made in the reign of Manuel
II (1391-1425). Until the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the trans-Isthmus wall
and the fortress remained a bulwark against invasions from the N.
O. Broneer, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains 3 image(s), bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
ΟΙΝΟΗ (Αρχαίο φρούριο) ΛΟΥΤΡΑΚΙ ΠΕΡΑΧΩΡΑΣ
Oinoi was a fort that overlooked the Halcyonic Bay not far from Megarian
territory (Strab. 8.1.3, 6.22; 9.2.25). The fort was captured by Aigisilaus during
his campaign in Piraion in 390 B.C. but was recovered not long afterwards by Iphikrates
(Xen. Hell. 4.5.5, 19).
The site has long been recognized as the imposing fortified compound
on the hill of Viokastro near the modern village of Schinos. The high (400 m)
hill is difficult of access from the coastal plain and the summit is crowned by
a network of polygonal walls that served both as partial terracing and fortifications.
Some of the walls, which are preserved in places to a height of over 4 m, are
closely parallel and so create a series of narrow corridors. The highest part
of the fort appears to have been a keep and below it to the E is a small plateau,
reached by a stairway, where there is a large cistern. The fort guarded one of
the chief routes from Boiotia to the Peloponnesos and would have been also an
effective coastal watch station for fleet movements.
J. R. Wiseman, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
ΠΕΡΑΙΟΝ (Αρχαία περιοχή) ΛΟΥΤΡΑΚΙ ΠΕΡΑΧΩΡΑΣ
ΣΧΟΙΝΟΥΣ (Αρχαίο λιμάνι) ΛΟΥΤΡΑΚΙ ΠΕΡΑΧΩΡΑΣ
The diolkos, a paved roadway for transporting ships and cargo across
the Isthmus of Corinth, terminated at Schoinous on the Saronic Gulf (Strab. 8.6.4,
22; 9.1.2; Pompon. 2.48; Ptol. 3.16.13; Plin. HN 4.7). According to Schol. on
Pindar Isthm. Argum., the body of Melikertes, who was worshiped as the god Palaimon
at the Isthmian Sanctuary, was carried here by a dolphin.
J. R. Wiseman, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
ΖΩΟΔΟΧΟΣ ΠΗΓΗ (Νησάκι) ΑΛΚΥΟΝΙΔΕΣ
Εκτείνεται 1 μίλι από Β-ΒΔ, Ακρα Σπηλίτσες (38,7,3 Β - 22,59,4 Α) προς Ν-ΝΑ, Ακρα Σωτήρας (38,6,4 Β - 22,59,9 Α), με ύψος 68μ. (38,7,1 Β - 22,59,6 Α).
ΗΡΑΙΟΝ (Αρχαίο ιερό) ΛΟΥΤΡΑΚΙ ΠΕΡΑΧΩΡΑΣ
The ruins of the famous sanctuary of Hera are to be found near the
lighthouse on Cape Malagavi, to the north-west of Loutraki and beyond the village
of Perachora amid its dense greenery. The Heraion of Perachora consists of two
sections, that' s why, until recently, it was believed to be two separate sanctuaries:
those of Hera Acraea ('of the cape') and Hera Limenia ('of the harbour').
Recent research, however, has led archaeologists to the conclusion
that there was only one sanctuary, dedicated to Hera Acraea-Limenia.
The cult seems to have established itself in the southern part of
the sanctuary (that formerly held to be the sanctuary of Hera Acraea) during the
Geometric period.
Around 800 BC, the first apsidal temple of Hera was built, but no
trace of it has survived. In the sixth century BC, α new temple of Hera was constructed,
further west. This was of a Doric order and had α rectangular layout measuring
10.30 meters on its short sides and 31 meters on the long sides. To the east was
an altar, also oblong and ornamented with triglyphs. In the fourth century BC,
eight Ionic columns were constructed around the altar; these supported a shelter,
which protected the priests and the sacred flame from the strong winds that often
blow in the area. A building which has come to light to the west of the Doric
temple has been interpreted as an agora, whose functions would have been both
commercial and religious.
At α distance of 200 m. from this section of the sanctuary is the
other, originally identified as the sanctuary of Hera Limenia. This reading of
the site, which originated with Professor Humfry Payne, was based on the discovery
of a rectangular Archaic building which was believed to be the temple of Hera.
Professor Tomlinson, who succeeded Payne, explored the site more systematically
and interpreted the building as α dining room for pilgrims to the sanctuary. It
would thus seem that the cult proper was practised in the south part of the site,
by the harbour, while the area around the dining room contained the service facilities
for visitors.
Between the two parts of the sanctuary was α sacred pool used as α
rainwater tank. This had become silted up as early as the fourth century BC and
during excavations some 200 glass bottles - connected with the sacred rites -
were found in the landfill. Not far away was a water tank with apsidal short sides
and a row of piers down the center on which the roof would have been supported.
The building is tightly waterproof and is an interesting example of the way in
which water was collected and stored in the fourth century BC.
This text is cited October 2004 from the Municipality of Loutrakion - Perachoras URL below, which contains images.
ΟΙΝΟΗ (Αρχαίο φρούριο) ΛΟΥΤΡΑΚΙ ΠΕΡΑΧΩΡΑΣ
Η πόλη Οινόη της Περαχώρας εντοπίζεται σε απόκρημνο ύψωμα ανατολικά του χωριού Σχίνος (Εκδοτική Αθηνών, Παυσανίου Περιήγησις, τόμος 2, σελ 25, σημ. 1).
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