Corinth

Prominent city of Greece, formerly the capital of the ancient province of Achaia, in which the apostle Paul preached. The site of ancient Corinth lies to the west of the isthmus separating the Peloponnesian Peninsula from mainland Greece. The ancient ruins, largely of Roman origin, are situated about four-fifths of a mile (1,285 meters) from present-day Corinth. The area was inhabited from Neolithic times. Corinth is dominated by an outcrop of rock known as Acrocorinth (Upper Corinth). The grandeur of the Greek period is evident in the remains of the temple of Apollo, whose massive columns dominate the site. Entrance to the ancient city is by means of a very broad avenue that lies in a straight line from the city gate. That avenue ends in the marketplace, with roads leading from there to the Acrocorinth. In the apostolic period the city was a bustling commercial and industrial center boasting a population of almost 700,000.

By the mid-eighth century BC, Corinth, strategically located along east-west trade routes, was a flourishing city-state. From 350–250 BC it was the most prominent city in Greece. Then the Roman military machine began a relentless march to forge a vast empire. In 146 BC Corinth was completely destroyed and lay in ruins for a century. In 46 BC Julius Caesar moved a mixed group of Italians and dispossessed Greeks onto the site, and once more a magnificent city arose, this time as a Roman colony. As in most Roman cities, marble temples dominated the landscape. The city was supplied with water from an underground well. It became a cosmopolitan city attracting tradespeople from all over the world, though its reputation grew simultaneously as a center of luxury, indulgence, and vice. A large colony of displaced Jews (part of the Diaspora) developed in the city, the group that undoubtedly attracted the apostle Paul.