Geography of Corinth

Corinth was located between two major sea ports. The ancient Greek poet Pindar referred to Corinth as “the bridge of the sea.” Instead of sailing hundreds of miles out of their way, sailors simply dragged their boats across the narrow Isthmus of Corinth (which was about 3 or 4 miles wide). Craig Blomberg writes, “Tucked between the two port towns of Cenchrea and Lechaeum, [Corinth] formed a major center of trade. The narrow isthmus on which Corinth was located, contained a path, the diolkos [literally “haul-across”], across which mariners would drag their unloaded boats, between the Adriatic and Aegean Sea, rather than sail over a hundred miles out of their way around the southern tip of Achaia.” Today, a canal cuts through the Isthmus, but this wasn’t created until 1893.