Acrocorinth (, 'Upper Corinth' or 'the

acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens ...

ancient Corinth Corinth ( ; ; ; ) was a city-state (''polis'') on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnese peninsula to the mainland of Greece, roughly halfway between Ancient Athens, Athens and Sparta. The modern city ...

') is a monolithic rock overlooking the ancient city of Corinth,

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. In the estimation of George Forrest, "It is the most impressive of the

of mainland Greece." With its secure water supply, Acrocorinth's

fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...

was repeatedly used as a last line of defense in southern Greece because it commanded the

Isthmus of Corinth The Isthmus of Corinth ( Greek: Ισθμός της Κορίνθου) is the narrow land bridge which connects the Peloponnese peninsula with the rest of the mainland of Greece, near the city of Corinth. The wide Isthmus was known in the a ...

, repelling foes from entry by land into the

Peloponnese The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...

peninsula.

History

The Acrocorinth was continuously occupied from archaic times to the early 19th century. Along with Demetrias and

Chalcis Chalcis (; Ancient Greek and Katharevousa: , ), also called Chalkida or Halkida (Modern Greek: , ), is the chief city of the island of Euboea or Evia in Greece, situated on the Euripus Strait at its narrowest point. The name is preserved from ...

, the Acrocorinth during the

Hellenistic period In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...

formed one of the so-called “''Fetters of Greece''” – three fortresses garrisoned by the

Macedon Macedonia ( ; , ), also called Macedon ( ), was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, which later became the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled by the royal ...

ians to secure their control of the Greek city-states. The city's archaic acropolis was already an easily defensible position due to its geomorphology; it was further heavily fortified during the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

as it became the seat of the ''

strategos ''Strategos'' (), also known by its Linguistic Latinisation, Latinized form ''strategus'', is a Greek language, Greek term to mean 'military General officer, general'. In the Hellenistic world and in the Byzantine Empire, the term was also use ...

'' of the '' thema'' of Hellas and later of the

. It was defended against the

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding ...

for three years by Leo Sgouros. Afterwards it became a fortress of the Frankish

Principality of Achaea The Principality of Achaea () or Principality of Morea was one of the vassal states of the Latin Empire, which replaced the Byzantine Empire after the capture of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade. It became a vassal of the Kingdom of Thes ...

, the Venetians, and the Ottoman Turks. Three circuit walls formed the man-made defense of the hill. The highest peak on the site was home to a temple to Aphrodite. The temple was converted to a church, which in turn was converted to a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

. The American School's Corinth Excavations began excavations on the Acrocorinth in 1929. Currently, it is one of the most important medieval castle sites of

Myths and legends

In a Corinthian myth related in the 2nd century CE to Pausanias, Briareus, one of the Hecatoncheires, was the arbitrator in a dispute between

Poseidon Poseidon (; ) is one of the twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and mythology, presiding over the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 He was the protector of seafarers and the guardian of many Hellenic cit ...

(the sea) and

Helios In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Helios (; ; Homeric Greek: ) is the god who personification, personifies the Sun. His name is also Latinized as Helius, and he is often given the epithets Hyperion ("the one above") an ...

(the sun): His verdict was that the Isthmus of Corinth belonged to Poseidon and the acropolis of Corinth (Acrocorinth) to

. The Upper Pirene spring is located within the encircling walls. "The spring, which is behind the temple, they say was the gift of

Asopus Asopus (; ''Āsōpos'') is the name of four different rivers in Greece and one in Turkey. In Greek mythology, it was also the name of the God (male deity), gods of those rivers. Zeus carried off Aegina (mythology), Aegina, Asopus' daughter, and ...

Sisyphus In Greek mythology, Sisyphus or Sisyphos (; Ancient Greek: Σίσυφος ''Sísyphos'') was the founder and king of Ancient Corinth, Ephyra (now known as Corinth). He reveals Zeus's abduction of Aegina (mythology), Aegina to the river god As ...

. The latter knew, so runs the legend, that Zeus had ravished

Aegina Aegina (; ; ) is one of the Saronic Islands of Greece in the Saronic Gulf, from Athens. Tradition derives the name from Aegina (mythology), Aegina, the mother of the mythological hero Aeacus, who was born on the island and became its king. ...

, the daughter of Asopus, but refused to give information to the seeker before he had a spring given him on the Acrocorinthus."

Gallery

Acrocorinth map (EN).jpg, Map of Acrocorinth Carl Anton Joseph Rottmann - Corinth with Akrocorinth - WGA20150.jpg, ''Corinth with Acrocorinth'' by Carl Anton Joseph Rottmann, 1847 Corinth, Acrocorinth.jpg, View of Acrocorinth walled gates, as rebuilt by the Venetians. 20190505 007 akrokorinthos.jpg, Inner (second) western Gate Apollon Tempel im antiken Korinth.jpg, Temple of Apollo with Acrocorinth in the background

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Corinth Acropoleis in Greece Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Peloponnese (region) Byzantine castles in the Peloponnese Former populated places in Greece Natura 2000 in Greece