Corinth, with the high city – Akrocorinth – in the background
Where was ancient Corinth?
Corinth was a town right where southern Greece and northern Greece come together. It was certainly a Mycenaean city, because Mycenaean pottery has been found in excavations at Corinth.
Mycenaean Greece
Mycenaean architecture
The Bronze Age
All our ancient Greece articles
Are there Greek myths about Corinth?
In Greek mythology, Corinth (CORE-inth) was where Jason and Medea lived.
Who was Jason?
More about Medea
Corinth’s Dark Age
During the Dark Ages, Corinth declined like other Greek towns. In the early Archaic period, around 900 BC, Corinth began to grow again. Like Athens, Corinth didn’t have a king anymore after the Dark Ages, but instead was run by an oligarchy of the richest men.
Dark Age Greece
What is an oligarchy?
Ancient Greek government
Corinth in the Archaic period
Corinthian vase
After the Dark Ages, the Greeks began to get more and more involved with trade. People were selling glass jars, perfume, pottery, wine, furs, and other things back and forth between West Asia and Greece and Italy. Some things travelled on Phoenician ships, and others on Greek ships.
Greek ships and sailing
Archaic Greek economy
Archaic Greece
How did Corinth get rich?
A lot of these ships went through Corinth, because that was the quickest way to sail between West Asia and Italy. People used a tow path to pull boats across the narrow piece of land that separated Corinth’s two ports. A lot of land trade also went through Corinth, which was on the main road between northern and southern Greece.
Map showing Corinth
What did Corinth sell to traders?
By around 800 BC, the Corinthians had begun making things themselves to sell to the traders who were always in their port.
Corinthian pottery
They made perfume, and fancy little pots to put the perfume in. For a while, these pots were famous, and Corinthians got rich from selling them.
