We booked a bus tour to take us to the site of Corinth as St. Paul knew it. Along the way we stopped briefly at the canal which was cut across the 1 mile wide isthmus between the Aegean and Ionian Seas.
The clouds moved on and we had a beautiful view of the Acrocorinth, the ancient city’s acropolis.
Continuing the analogy, the Acrocorinth was the dominating site for religious use, while in the plain below the agora of Corinth was the center of daily life. It was thrilling to walk along the same road that St. Paul walked upon entering the city and approach the bema, or speaker’s platform, where presumably he spoke to the citizens of Corinth.
The remains of temples at the site of course are devoted to the Greek gods.
We devoted most of Saturday, April 25 to learning about the history of Greek civilizations at the National Archaeological Museum. We didn’t know that in the Neolithic period (6800 to 3300 BC) specialization in crafts like pottery and even metal working were already being supported by communities of farmers, herders, and fishers. The Mycenean civilization (1600 to 1100 BC) extended around the eastern half of the Mediterranean Sea through their capacity for seafaring. We packed our brains full of the chronological story until we could fit no more in.
But there was more! On our return to the hotel via subway stations Monastiriki and Evangelismos, we found displays and excavations of what was found when the subway system was expanded for the 2004 Olympics. In Monostiriki the layers of building which over the centuries covered the Eridanos River were displayed in cross section, and the river flows again.
At Evangelismos, just a yard beneath the surface, a water delivery system from around 500 BC was uncovered. The ceramic pipes were joined with lead seals and had markings stamped on them to ensure proper alignment for connections.
2500 years old and appearing as if they were installed last year! Where else can one learn so much just by riding the subway?
But there was more! On our return to the hotel via subway stations Monastiriki and Evangelismos, we found displays and excavations of what was found when the subway system was expanded for the 2004 Olympics. In Monostiriki the layers of building which over the centuries covered the Eridanos River were displayed in cross section, and the river flows again.
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