April 22: Katherine and Jackie Reporting

Date: April 22
Partners for the day: Katherine (text) Jackie (images)
Site(s): Ancient Corinth, Panayia Field excavations, Lechaion, Acrocorinth
Museum(s): Corinth Museum
Principal Buildings/Monuments: Temple of Apollo, Sacred Spring, Lower Peirene Spring, Basilica at Lechaion, Upper Peirene Spring, Temple of Aphrodite
Time Spent on Each Site: Corinth: from ca. 9:00 to ca. 11:30 and from ca. 2:00 to ca. 3:00 [ __3.5__ hours], Panayia Field: from ca. 11:30to ca. 1:00 [ __1.5__ hours], Lechaion: from ca. 3:15 to ca. 4:15 [ __1__ hour], Acrocorinth: from ca. 4:30 to ca. 6:00 [ __1.5__ hours]
Weather: Mostly sunny, windy, slightly chilly

We arrived at Corinth this morning, after about an hour’s drive from Tripolis. We were met by our guest lecturer and guide for the day, Guy Sanders, the director of the American School’s excavations at Corinth. Dr. Sanders gave us a very thorough and informative explanation of the particular geology of the region, before showing us the Temple of Apollo. He then took us to see the “sacred spring” and the Triglyph Wall, which has some very peculiar features. The wall has a frieze of alternating triglyphs and metopes, like a typical Doric frieze. One of the triglyphs actually functioned as a door to a tunnel and drain, which led up to a small archaic apsidal building. The function of the tunnel and drain are unknown, but various suggestions have been made, including variations on oracles or “miracles” of Dionysus, whereby water poured into the apsidal building could be “turned” into wine by someone hiding in the tunnel with a wineskin. Sanders showed us several other features of the excavated portion of ancient Corinth, before turning us over to Jen Palinkas for a tour of the American School excavations at Panayia Field. Palinkas showed us two recently excavated graves containing massive stone sarcophagi, each carved from a single piece of limestone. The tombs date from the Geometric period. They are particularly significant because they are examples of monumental stonework from a very early era. Palinkas also showed us a Roman marble tile floor that will soon be reburied, several Hellenistic wells, a Late Roman bathhouse (and several fragments of wall paintings found there), and a 17th Century AD cemetery. The cemetery contained mixed Muslim and Christian burials. The two can be told apart by their orientation and the placement of the bodies (Christian burials are oriented East-West, with the head at the west and the arms folded, while Muslim burials are oriented on a diagonal to the Christian burials, with arms at the side and head turned toward Mecca). One grave apparently contained a probable criminal: this individual was found face down with a hook around his/her collarbone.

This was only our first encounter with grisly tales of death at Corinth. After lunch and a quick tour through the museum, we met up with Dr. Sanders again. He took us to an area that was probably used as a cemetery for a hospital in Medieval times, and regaled us with alternately amusing and horrifying stories of the causes of death of the occupants of the cemetery. Most importantly, however, we learned how much bones can tell the archaeologist about an individual and a society. Bones can indicate which muscles were most used, and suggest an occupation, while teeth can sometimes indicate diet. Bones can also indicate what types of diseases were prevalent. Next, Sanders took us down to the coast of the Corinthian Gulf, where we explored the remains of a 6th-7th Century AD basilica. At the time the church was built, it was one of the biggest buildings in Greece.

We said goodbye to Dr. Sanders, and headed for our last stop of the day, Acrocorinth, the acropolis of ancient Corinth, and a fortified stronghold throughout the ages. While on Acrocorinth, we saw the remains of the Temple of Aphrodite and climbed down to the Upper Peirene Spring. From Acrocorinth, one cannot help but be impressed by the geography of the area. The isthmus leading to the Peloponnese was clearly visible, with the Corinthian Gulf on one side and the Saronic Gulf on the other. We had been told that this narrow strip of land had a huge impact on Corinth’s place in the Greek world, and seeing it from Acrocorinth made this easier to believe. Its proximity to the isthmus meant that Corinth was in a unique position to control trade and communication routes on both land and water. Land paths from Attica and Northern Greece to the Peloponnese had to pass through Corinth, and boats were often moved over the isthmus on the limestone track controlled by the Corinthians, rather than making the dangerous voyage around the Peloponnese. This was an economic boon for both the Corinthian state, who collected fees for using the track, and some average Corinthians who owned the animals who pulled the ships across. It is very fitting that we visited Acrocorinth toward the midpoint of our trip. From the top, some of the mountains of the Peloponnese, where we have spend the last week, can be seen. Athens, where we arrived in Greece, is visible across the Saronic Gulf. To the North lies Mount Parnassos and Delphi, as well as other sites we will be visiting after our ISP week and our trip to Turkey. Corinth is situated on a unique midpoint in Greece, and on our trip.