A drive to Corinth (Κορινθ&# 943;α) an ancient city about 48 miles west of Athens on the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnese to the mainland of Greece was the start of today. First stop was to see the Corinth Canal which is an important shipping route and then we headed to the ancient ruins. Our guide bought to life these ruins as we saw the Temple of Apollo (God of the arts who could foresee the future). Interestingly the tall columns are in one piece (unlike the Parthenon which is in smaller pieces atop each other) and one can only try to imagine how they were created. Our guide gave us a helpful hint in dating the ruins – the bigger the stones the older the structure. As we walked through the Agora (market place) seeing the shops and fountains we could imagine life in 580 BC. The city was surrounded by fortification walls many of which are still partially standing.


A little bit of history......Corinth was an important city in ancient Greece and it played a major role in the missionary work of the Apostle Paul

. Today, Corinth is the second largest city in the Peloponnese with several sites of interest to pilgrims and tourists. In 1858, the old city, now known as Archaia Korinthos (Αρχαία Κόρινθ 59;ς), located 3 kilometres SW of the modern city, was totally destroyed by a magnitude 6.5 earthquake. Nea Korinthos or New Corinth was then built a few kilometers away on the coast of the Gulf of Corinth. A magnitude 6.3 earthquake in 1928 devastated the new city, which was then rebuilt on the same site. It was rebuilt again after a great fire in 1933.








Epidaurus is one of the most popular archaeological sites in Greece. Located on the north eastern side of Peloponnese, in the region of Argolis, Epidaurus is mostly famous for its Ancient Theatre. This theatre was constructed in the late 4th century BC to host religious ceremonial events in honor of god Asclepius, whose healing centre was located few steps away. Famous for its symmetry and the incredible acoustics, this classical theatre is surrounded by lush greenery and gives nice view to the valley below. If someone stands in the arena you can hear the clapping perfectly from any section of the amphitheatre. A few try to sing but this is actively discouraged by the guides as it can be quite a distraction for visitors trying to get a feel for the place, especially if it is someone who cannot carry a tune !!!




Of interest to me was the healing sanctuary which is the oldest healing sanctuary in the Eastern Mediterranean. Archaeologists have discovered evidence that the science of medicine was very much alive at this time as the priests were like doctors and kept all the records on stone and shared information with others. There is evidence that local plants were used and the use of games and music to aid emotional health. Attached to the sanctuary was a katagogion – accommodation for companions who stayed with the patients. Those who were healed had to offer a thank you – for example a cast of the part healed (see photo of the ear) or an ornate note (written on stone). In the small museum attached there were examples of the records found to date as well as medical instruments retrieved from the site.