Ancient City of Corinth

On my last day of Athens, I toured the ancient city of Corinth, located 50 miles SW of Athens on the Peloponnese Peninsula. The site goes back to the Neolithic period (6000 B.C.). At one point, Corinth rivaled Athens in wealth due to its proximity to the isthmus and shipping ports therein. The Corinthians contributed to the classical style of architecture with their ornate use of slender fluted columns, elaborate pillar crownings, and flourishes of leaves and scrolls. Corinth was also 1 of 9 Greek-sponsored city-states to send colonies to Egypt to increase trade between the two ancient civilizations in 657 B.C. Today the ancient city of Corinth lies in fragments. The Temple of Apollo stands at the forefront, and the rest of the city is spread out in rubbled wonder.