The city
Corinth remained a thriving city in Late Antiquity, on
account of its strategic location and the commercial activity in its two
seaports, Kechrees and Lechaion. Earthquakes in
365 and
375 dealt the city a serious
blow,
as did Gothic
raids in 395/6.
City space was confined within the newly built Late Roman or Early Byzantine
walls, parts of which still survive in places in the village
of Ancient
Corinth.
Though
previously linked by walls to Acrocorinth, the city now
lost
this connection.
The
significance of
the ancient
forum
seems
to have diminished,
and archaeological
evidence
points
to the domestic
activities
and small
industries of a poor neighbourhood.
The Early Byzantine
period (especially the 5th and 6th century) saw the building of numerous large
Christian basilicas with substantial sculpture decoration in Corinth and its
environs, such those at Kraneion to the east, Kodratos to the north and Skoutela to the northeast, and
those at Lechaion and Kechrees. Cemeteries dating to the 6th and 7th
century have been excavated in areas outside the walls, at the Asclepeion and
the basilicas at Kodratos and Kraneion. The city’s recovery
in this period
seems to
have been stalled by
the great famine of
542,
which affected demographics,
and a
devastating
earthquake
in 525 mentioned by
Procopius .
The building
of the Hexamilion wall was of particular importance in protecting both the city
and the entire Peloponnese. The wall ran the
length of the isthmus, from the shores of the Saronic Gulf
to the Gulf of Corinth, rendering it one of
the largest fortification projects. The wall was originally built by Emperor
Theodosius II (408-451), and rebuilt by Justinian between 548 and 560 in the
wake of devastating earthquakes in the first half of the 6th century.
Over the
following centuries there are signs of activity around
the
basilicas
outside
the walls; from the
late 6th to the 8th century the Roman forum
was used as a burial ground.
Excavation finds from the basilicas at
Kraneion,
Kodratos
and
a small
basilica
at
Acrocorinth
reveal
signs of
habitation
in
the 7th
century.
Similar
activity
has also been detected
at
Diabatiki
near
Lechaion.
In particular, building
remains and other finds from the Kraneion area show that
it was inhabited
in the
mid and
late-Byzantine
periods.
After the
empire was reformed in the late 8th century, we know that Corinth became the
capital of the Theme of the Peloponnese, and the seat of a general. As an
archdiocesal see it must have had a large cathedral. Despite the lack of
excavation data, a large number of sculptures dating from the 9th to the late
12th-early 13th century indicate the existence of churches already known from
sources, such as those dedicated to Agioi Theodoroi and Christ the Saviour, and
the Latin-rite monastery of St. Nicholas. There are some remains of the small
basilica erected on the site of the Roman "bema" where Paul preached;
excavations have also identified churches at the Peirini spring and to the
south of the museum. Added to these are the church of Agios
Ioannis (St. John the Theologian), which survived until 1937,
and the now ruined church of Agia Paraskevi, etc.
As Corinth’s
location favoured the development of trade, the city probably became an
important centre in the Middle Byzantine period. Coins and treasures dating from
this period attest to economic growth in the city. In the late 11th century
the Venetians used Corinth
to gather local products such as silks and olive oil, while in 1165-1171 Vitale
Voltani, a representative of Romano Raimano, monopolized the Corinthian olive
oil market on Venice’s behalf. The city was also famed for its trade in
currants, derived from the renowned local variety of grape. Archaeological
evidence shows that in the late 11th century various buildings encroached on
the open space of the Roman forum.Though building phases are unclear, these included
shops, housing and bath complexes, monasteries and a number of workshops. There
is firm archaeological evidence of workshops for ceramics, glass, gold and
brass. Silk has not been found, despite clear textual references to
installations for processing and dyeing it.
In 1147 Corinth was raided by a
fleet sent by Roger II of Sicily.
The city retained its commanding presence nonetheless; Roger’s geographer
al-Idrisi describes it as large and prosperous, while in the late 12th century
Choniates mentions the two ports of Lechaino and Kechrees, and the bustling
commercial activity below Acrocorinthos castle. Excavation evidence indicates
that the city must have been fortified with towers and a perimeter wall when
the Franks arrived in the 13th century. Trading activity flourished despite the
change in administration. The remains of a contemporary neighbourhood to the west
of the Roman forum indicate that large numbers of clay vessels were imported
from Apulia and Veneto.
Corinth
fell into decline following Catalan raids in 1312, an earthquake in about 1320
and the great plague of 1348. According to a description by Niccolò da Martoni,
in 1395 there were only a few dozen houses within Acrocorinthos, while the
lower city stood in ruins.
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