A Study On The Isthmus Of Corinth And The Rise And Fall Of Corinth In The Classical Period

During the Classical Period,Corinth used to be the third most powerful city-state in Greece after Athens and Sparta,it was actively involved in successive wars to secure a competitive advantage.The Isthmus of Corinth under the control of Corinth served as a gateway to the central Greece and Peloponnese,a bridge between the east and west of the Mediterranean Sea.The Isthmus was the centre for economic,political and cultural assembly,as well as a strategic location.It had a positive impact on Corinth in economic,political,military and cultural terms.The transportation network of the diolkos and roads facilitated the carriage of food,building material and other goods,it met the demand of large,concentrated populations.It also facilitated the construction in the Isthmian District and created livelihood opportunities for Corinthian construction workers.Trade in the market within Isthmia facilitated the flow of goods between the east and west of the Mediterranean Sea,through which Corinth collected customs duties,port taxes,transit-dues and charges for the use of the diolkos.The service industry in the Sanctuary of Poseidon generated a large income for the Corinthians.The economic prosperity created by the Isthmus provided a rich physical infrastructure for Corinth's involvement in wars.By virtue of the strategic advantages of the Isthmus and nearby harbours,Corinth established a strong navy and became the main force in many wars.The construction of fortifications such as the Trans-Isthmian Fortification Wall,city walls and fortresses had strengthened the military value of the Isthmus,which was also an important place for military and political gatherings.When Corinth had good collaboration with its allies,adopted reasonable strategies and tactics,they could make full use of the defensive value of the Isthmus and strengthened the political and military position of Corinth.But when they made strategic and tactical mistakes,and were much weaker than the enemies,Corinth's navy suffered heavy losses and the trans-Isthmus portage of warships failed.At the end of the Classical Period,Corinth remained neutral by virtue of the strategic position of the Isthmus,and maintained a certain political and cultural influence.After Macedon's conquest of the Greek city-states,Corinth's military and political superiority ceased to exist,while Corinth still had a significant cultural influence by means of the Isthmus.Under the influence of particularism,the differences of mythological origin of the Isthmian Games and the worship of Poseidon encouraged the Corinthians to strengthen their recognition of the city-state and to rally the willingness of the Corinthians in the wars between the city-states.Making offerings in the Sanctuary of Poseidon and the Isthmian Games promoted national identification of Greece,meanwhile Panhellenism gradually prevailed,it became the spiritual force to resist foreign invasions.Thanks to the geographical position of the Isthmus,as the organizer of these cultural events,Corinth promoted and sustained its cultural influence.At the end of the Classical Period,the Greek city-states,including Corinth,were generally in crisis.Because of the changing political situation in Greece and the lack of effective countermeasures for Corinth,the advantages accumulated by means of the Isthmus were far from sufficient to recover the decline of political strength,Corinth was finally conquered by Macedon.While the history of Corinth did not end,Corinth existed with the support of Macedon and its successors during the Hellenistic Period until the Roman rule.