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Listed 20 sub titles with search on: Archaeological sites  for wider area of: "LOUTRAKI-PERACHORA Municipality CORINTHIA" .


Archaeological sites (20)

Ancient harbours

Ancient Diolkos of Corinth

ISTHMUS KORINTHOS (Isthmus) LOUTRAKI-PERACHORA
  The Diolkos is a paved road which was used for the transport of boats by land on a platform ("puller of boats").
  Its western section was excavated to a length of 255m. on the Peloponnesos side of the Isthmus and of 204 m. on the Sterea Hellas side, in the precinct of the School of Engineering.
  Its width is 3,40 - 6,00m. It is paved with square blocks of poros and carried two grooves in the middle, at a distance of 1,50 m. from each other. On its western side it ended on a paved quay.
  It became necessary to built the "diolkos" in order to provide a quick passage for the boats between the Saronic Gulf and the Corinthian Bay. It was constructed during the 6th century B.C., probably during the tyranny of Periandros in Corinth. Its westren end was reconstructed at the beginning of the 4th century B.C. It was used for the transport of small boats, mostly warships, up to the 9th century A.D. as is confirmed by various sources.
  The monument was excavated during the years 1956-1959 by the Greek Archaeological Service (under the direction of N.Verdelis).   Supplementary investigations were undertaken in 1960 and 1963 by the archaeologist with funds from the Archaeological Society.

This text is cited Feb 2003 from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture URL below.


Ancient sanctuaries

ISTHMIA (Ancient sanctuary) LOUTRAKI-PERACHORA

Ancient stadiums

Ancient tombs

Mycenean tombs

SKALOMA (Settlement) LOUTRAKI-PERACHORA
  At the pretty spot called Skaloma (to the east of the Vouliagmeni lagoon, on the way to Makryloi) Mycenean tombs dating from 1600-1500 BC have been discovered. A total of twelve shaft tombs, dug out of a hillside of soft oil, have come to light. The tombs are circular in shape and roofed with protruding domes. The grave-goods accompanying the dead were unusually rich and impress with the delicacy of their technique and their linear decoration.

Ancient villas & houses

The Roman Villa

LOUTRAKI (Town) CORINTHIA
  The considerable importance of this building can be deduced from the large number of marble architectural members it contained and from the mosaic scenes that ornamented its floors. The luxurious villa was equipped with a skillfully constructed bath linked to the warm medicinal springs of Loutraki. The medicinal springs of Loutraki, which still attract large numbers of visitors today, were not unknown in ancient times. Loutraki was called Therma ­meaning “hot springs” - and traces of the ancient settlement have been identified beneath the modern town. Ancient writers mentioned the therapeutic properties of the waters.

Excavations

University of Chicago Excavations at Isthmia

ISTHMIA (Ancient sanctuary) LOUTRAKI-PERACHORA

The Ohio State University Excavations at Isthmia

Perseus Building Catalog

Perachora, Temple of Hera Akraia

HERAION (Ancient sanctuary) LOUTRAKI-PERACHORA
Site: Perachora
Type: Temple
Summary: Narrow rectangular temple; in the harbor area, northeast of the West Court, west of the Triglyph Altar of Hera Akraia and the Geometric Temple of Hera Akraia.
Date: ca. 550 B.C.
Period: Archaic

Plan:
Long narrow cella opening west with walls on the north and south.

History:
A more complete reconstruction, not illustrated here, suggests that the cella opened onto a pronaos, with 2 Doric columns distyle in antis. On the interior, Doric colonnades on the 2 low walls and a cross wall in front of the cult statue at the western end.

This text is cited Nov 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains 1 image(s), bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.


Perachora, Sanctuary of Hera Limenia

Site: Perachora
Type: Peribolos Wall
Summary: Walled group of buildings; east of the harbor and the Hestiatorion.
Date: ca. 750 B.C.
Period: Geometric

Plan:
Rectangular enclosure, with a temple and hearth on south east corner. A sacred pool outside the enclosure.

History:
Named from inscriptions found within the sanctuary. There is some debate if this was a separate sanctuary from that of Hera Akraia. Inscriptions dedicating spits were found here and other features indicate this may have been a dining facility.

This text is cited Nov 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains 2 image(s), bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.


Perachora, Geometric Temple of Hera Akraia

Site: Perachora
Type: Temple
Summary: Geometric temple; near the harbor, at the north end of the Triglyph Altar of Hera Akraia.
Date: ca. 820 B.C.
Period: Geometric

Plan:
Hairpin-shaped temple opening east.

History:
Probably in use until ca. 725 B.C. A later, 6th century B.C. Temple of Hera Akraia was constructed farther west on approximately the same axis as the Geometric temple.

This text is cited Nov 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains 1 image(s), bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.


Perachora, Triglyph Altar of Hera Akraia

Site: Perachora
Type: Altar
Summary: Altar with a colonnade; in the harbor area, west of the L-shaped stoa near the harbor, and abutting the Geometric Temple of Hera Akraia.
Date: ca. 550 B.C.
Period: Archaic

Plan:
Rectangular altar surrounded by 8 Ionic columns.

History:
The altar is named for the triglyphs and metopes which decorated its sides. The Ionic columns possibly supported a canopy. The altar is contemporary with the 6th century B.C. Temple of Hera Akraia, but the colonnade was probably added ca. 400 B.C.

This text is cited Nov 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains 1 image(s), bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.


Perachora, Stoa near the Harbor

Site: Perachora
Type: Stoa
Summary: L-shaped stoa; northeast of the harbor, just east of the Triglyph Altar of Hera Akraia in the Sanctuary of Hera.
Date: ca. 325 B.C. - 300 B.C.
Period: Hellenistic

Plan:
Two-storied, one-aisled stoa opening to the south and west. Doric, lower colonnade of 10 columns, and an Ionic upper colonnade of attached half columns.

History:
The upper story of Ionic columns is the earliest known use of Ionic order over the Doric order in a stoa.

This text is cited Nov 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains 1 image(s), bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.


Perachora, West Court

Site: Perachora
Type: Court
Summary: Open area with colonnade; on the west side of the harbor.
Date: ca. 540 B.C.
Period: Archaic

Plan:
Irregular shape enclosed by a wall opening east. A bench ran along the west, south and southeast sides, with pillars for roofing on the west and southern sides.

History:
Ca. 540 B.C., the earliest wall cuttings probably defined the extent of the Sanctuary of Hera Akraia. The west wall and a wooden colonnade were added ca. 450 B.C. The ca. 450 B.C. West Court is described above in the Plan description. It was probably destroyed by Mummius in 146 B.C. In the 2nd century A.D. a Roman house was built on the same location.

This text is cited Nov 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains 4 image(s), bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.


Perachora, Circular Building

Site: Perachora
Type: Cistern
Summary: Circular structure; northeast of the harbor area, between the Sanctuary of Hera Limenia and the upper plains.
Date: ca. 450 B.C.
Period: Classical

Plan:
Circular foundation with small cutting near the center.

History:
Waterproof plaster indicates that this may have been a cistern. The floor slopes toward the center cutting which may have been a drain. There are no signs of internal supports and it may have been unroofed.

This text is cited Nov 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains 2 image(s), bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.


Perachora, Hestiatorion

Site: Perachora
Type: Dining facility
Summary: Three-roomed building; east of the harbor, west of the Sanctuary of Hera Limenia, just south of the Double-apsidal Cistern.
Date: ca. 300 B.C.
Period: Hellenistic

Plan:
Nearly square, three-roomed building opening north. On the south, 2 square rooms each equipped with 11 dining couches and 7 tables, opening on their north sides onto a narrow vestibule.

History:
Excavation indicates that there was an earlier building on the same location. The Double-apsidal Cistern was contemporary and probably built as part of the Hestiatorion.

This text is cited Nov 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains 1 image(s), bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.


Perachora, Double-apsidal Cistern

Site: Perachora
Type: Cistern
Summary: Oval water tank; east of the harbor, west of the Sanctuary of Hera Limenia, just north of the Hestiatorion.
Date: ca. 420 B.C.
Period: Classical

Plan:
Long cistern with apses at either end having 10 piers. Steps on the west. On the east a separate apsidal settling tank with a circular basin, fed by a large channel or drain.

History:
The stone slab drain which fed the cistern drew rain water from the Sanctuary of Hera Limenia, and begins at the site of a sacred pool in the sanctuary. The steps at the western end of the cistern indicate that water was drawn there to serve the needs of the Hestiatorion. The Double-apsidal Cistern was contemporary with, and probably built as a feature of the Hestiatorion.

This text is cited Nov 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains 2 image(s), bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.


Perachora, Fountainhouse

Site: Perachora
Type: Fountainhouse
Summary: Columned fountainhouse with long narrow storage chambers; on the upper plains of the Perachora peninsula, northeast of the harbor.
Date: ca. 325 B.C.
Period: Hellenistic

Plan:
Ionic Hexastyle prostyle fountainhouse opening west. Three rectangular draw basins on the east divided by a wall from the narrow storage chambers extending east.

History:
The site was in use from the 7th century B.C. onwards, but the fountainhouse dates from the end of the 4th century B.C., when much of the Sanctuary of Hera was rebuilt. The storage chambers received water from a channel at the southeastern corner. Water then flowed into the south chamber and on to the draw basins and the center and northern chambers.

This text is cited Nov 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains 3 image(s), bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.


Perseus Site Catalog

Perachora

Region: Corinthia
Periods: Geometric, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic
Type: Sanctuary
Summary: Sanctuary of Hera.

Physical Description:
   
Located on a large promontory at E end of Corinthian Gulf, N of the Isthmus and opposite ancient Corinth, near the fortified town of Peraion. Two sacred precincts existed: Hera Limenia above the harbor with an 8th century B.C. temple and Hera Akraia by the harbor with a 6th century B.C. temple. House remains, cisterns, an agora and stoa were part of the settlement around the sanctuaries. There may have been an oracle at the sanctuaries.
Description:
   
Perhaps due to the scarcity of fresh water, there was no settlement and only occasional habitation on the Perachora promontory prior to the Geometric period when the territory (originally belonging to Megara) came under Corinthian control. It was strategically important that Corinth control the Perachora because it could serve an enemy as a strong base near the Isthmus and Corinth and because it provided an ideal observation point for ship movement in the whole W part of the Corinthian Gulf. The 1st temple and precinct of Hera Akraia was established by the Corinthians on the W tip of the promontory early in the Geometric period. There is strong indication that Argos also played a role in the foundation of this new Heraion. In the later Geometric period (2nd half of the 8th century B.C.), a 2nd temple and precinct, the so-called Hera Limenia, was built ca. 200 m E and up the valley from the 1st precinct. The 2nd enclosure may have been a separate sanctuary dedicated to Hera Limenia, or it may have been an extension or annex to the precinct of Hera Akraia. In the latter case the 2nd (8th century) temple may have replaced the original temple at the shore or it may have been a treasury or structure to house the ever accumulating votive offerings of Hera rather than an actual temple. The original sacred precinct of Hera Akraia is in a confined space hemmed in by sea and cliffs and a large number of offerings and votive gifts were brought into the sanctuary during the 8th century B.C. An annex to the popular sanctuary of Hera Akraia appears more logical than the construction of a new and competitive sanctuary of Hera. After the establishment of the Hera Limenia precinct the original shore side precinct of Hera Akraia was renovated and a new temple of Hera built in the 6th century B.C. From the 8th century through the Classical period, votive gifts and offerings continue to enrich both precincts. In the 8th and 7th centuries B.C. Corinth became more independent from Argos and began to send out colonists and traders to the W. The Hera sanctuary was the last point of Corinthian territory that colonists would pass and the first point that returning merchants would reach and this undoubtedly accounted for many offerings to secure or give thanks for safe voyages and enterprises. The Classical period brought another phase of building activity at the sanctuary. The area of the Hera Akraia precinct was remodeled and a stoa and agora were added. The approach to the Hera Limenia precinct and part of that temenos were also remodeled. There had been habitations and fortifications built in the neighborhood of the sanctuary as early as the original Geometric period foundations and additional buildings of this nature appear in the Classical period. The Heraion was still important and active in the Hellenistic period and new buildings and cisterns appear in the neighborhood. The sanctuary, however, had been completely abandoned after the Roman sack of 146 B.C. and Roman houses were built over its ruins.
Exploration:
   
Excavations: 1930-33, H. Payne, British School of Archaeology.

Donald R. Keller, ed.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains 22 image(s), bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.


Isthmia

ISTHMIA (Ancient sanctuary) LOUTRAKI-PERACHORA
Region: Corinthia
Periods: Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman
Type: Sanctuary
Summary: One of the four major Panhellenic sanctuaries and site of the Isthmian Games, 2nd only to the Olympian Games in fame.

Physical Description:
   
Located on the SE side of the Isthmus of Corinth, ca. 13 km E of ancient Corinth, the Sanctuary of Poseidon occupies a high point with a clear view to the Corinthian and Saronic Gulfs. The main features of the sanctuary are the temple and altar of Poseidon and the stoas of the main temenos. Beyond the walls of the temenos are the stadium, theater, Roman Palaimonion shrine, and Roman baths. Associated with the sanctuary are cave shrines N of the theater and the Sacred Grove 400 m SW of the temenos.
Description:
   
Traditionally the sanctuary and games of honor of Poseidon were established by the Corinthian King Sisyphos or the Athenian Hero Theseus. The games were reportedly reorganized as a Panhellenic festival during the 49th Olympiad (582-578 B.C.) and held every 2nd spring thereafter. Control of the games was held by Corinth except for the period 146-44 B.C. when Corinth lay in ruins and Sikyon managed the games. The Archaic temenos wall had a N and E propylon and enclosed a temple and altar. Outside the wall was a large 20 m deep well and a 16 lane stadium with a length of 192 m. In the Classical period the temenos was enlarged and stoas added. The original temple, destroyed by fire, was replaced by a temple that stood (with repairs in 390 B.C.) through the Roman period. The deep well outside the wall became a refuge pit and a new, shorter (181 m) stadium was constructed. The Classical stadium was replaced in the Hellenistic period by a stadium located ca. 250 m SE of the temenos and at ca. 400 B.C. a theater was built ca. 30 m NE of the temenos. The theater was renovated twice in the Hellenistic period and twice in the Roman period. In the Roman period the temenos was again extended and new stoas built. The Palaimonion cult precinct was attached to the S side of the main temenos over the traditional burial place of Palaimon (associated with the Corinthian foundation legend for the sanctuary). The sanctuary remained active during the Roman period, until it was sacked by the Goths in A.D. 395 At the beginning of the 6th century A.D. the structures in the sanctuary were pulled down for material to build the nearby fortress and Isthmia wall of Justinian.
Exploration:
   
In 1883 P. Monceaus of the French School investigated the site. It was re-studied and some test trenches dug in 1933 by R. Jenkins and A. Megaw. 1952-1961 excavations by University of Chicago directed by O. Broneer, who located the site of the sanctuary and excavated the temenos of Poseidon, the stadium, theater and shrine of Palaimon (including the earlier temple and stadium). 1967-1972 excavations by University of California directed by P. Clement, chiefly of the Isthmian fortifications and burials of the sixth and fifth centuries BC.

Donald R. Keller, ed.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains 35 image(s), bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.


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