Corinth Canal and drone footage

Corinth was one of the most important shipping communities in the ancient world. A tiny strip of land, called an isthmus, separates the southwestern peninsula of Greece from the mainland. Just 4 miles (6.3 km) wide, the Isthmus of Corinth connects the Gulf of Corinth and the Saronic Gulf. Today a canal allows ships to navigate through the land bridge. In ancient times, ships or their cargo were transported overland. Some boats were rolled on logs from one gulf to the other. Loads of cargo were moved in the same way. Portions of a paved road can still be seen near the canal. It was far faster for ships to transfer goods (or the entire ship) across the isthmus than to sail around the “Peloponnese.” The downside to using the isthmus was a time delay. Sailors were usually granted time off while goods were transferred. Corinth welcomed the sailors and their money with open arms, wine and prostitutes. Atop the majestic acropolis of Corinth stood a notorious temple to Aphrodite. The Greek geographer Strabo claimed the temple employed 1,000 temple prostitutes. The size of the temple ruins leads many scholars to suggest Strabo’s words were an exaggeration. Nevertheless, Paul struggled as he led the brand-new church at Corinth. In his letters, he had to address a flagrant sexual sin of someone in the congregation (1 Corinthians 5:1-5) and cases of gluttony and drunkenness during gatherings (1 Corinthians 11:20-22).