Title
The Isthmus of Corinth: Crossroads of the Mediterranean World
Files
Description
The narrow neck of land that joins the Peloponnese with the Greek mainland was central to the fortunes of the city of Corinth and the history of Greece from the classical Greek period to the end of the ancient world. Corinth was perfectly situated for monitoring land traffic between Athens and Sparta and overland movements between eastern and western seas.
David Pettegrew’s book offers a new history of the Isthmus of Corinth from the Romans’ initial presence in Greece during the Hellenistic era to the epic transformations of the Empire in late antiquity. A new interpretation of the extensive literary evidence outlines how the Isthmus became the most famous land bridge of the ancient world, central to maritime interests of Corinth, and a medium for Rome’s conquest, annexation, and administration in the Greek east. A fresh synthesis of archaeological evidence and the results of a recent intensive survey on the Isthmus describe the physical development of fortifications, settlements, harbors, roads, and sanctuaries in the region. The author includes chapters on the classical background of the concept isthmos, the sacking of Corinth and the defeat of the Achaean League, colonization in the Late Roman Republic, the Emperor Nero’s canal project and its failure, the growth of Roman settlement in the territory, and the end of athletic contests at Isthmia. The Isthmus of Corinth offers a powerful case study in the ways that shifting Mediterranean worlds transformed a culturally significant landscape over the course of a millennium.
ISBN
9780472119844
Publication Date
12-6-2016
Publisher
University of Michigan Press
City
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Keywords
greek history, roman history, Mediterranean, messiah college, messiah university
Disciplines
European History | History
Recommended Citation
Pettegrew, David, "The Isthmus of Corinth: Crossroads of the Mediterranean World" (2016). Educator Book Gallery. 12.
https://mosaic.messiah.edu/edbooks/12
Comments
Originally published as: David K. Pettegrew (2016). The Isthmus of Corinth: Crossroads of the Mediterranean World. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Link to publisher page: https://www.press.umich.edu/5074123/isthmus_of_corinth