The Isthmus of Corinth, Greece
The Isthmus of Corinth is the narrow land bridge which connects the Peloponnese peninsula with the rest of the mainland of Greece, near the city of Corinth. The word "isthmus" comes from the Ancient Greek word for "neck" and refers to the narrowness of the land.[1] The Isthmus was known in the ancient world as the landmark separating Peloponnese from mainland of Greece. The idea for a shortcut to save boats sailing all round the Peloponnese was long considered by the Ancient Greeks. The first attempt to build a canal there was carried out by the tyrant Periander in the 7th century BC. He abandoned the project owing to technical difficulties, and instead constructed a simpler and less costly overland stone ramp, named Diolkos, as a portage road. In AD 67, the philhellene Roman emperor Nero ordered 6,000 slaves to dig a canal with spades. According to Pliny the Elder, the work advanced four stadia (about 5/8 kilometers).The following year Nero died, and his successor Galba abandoned the project as being too expensive. In the modern era, the idea was first seriously proposed in 1830, soon after Greece's independence from the Ottoman Empire, and was brought to completion in 1893 after eleven years' work.
Size: 4711px × 3141px
Location: Peloponnese, Corinth, Greece, Europe
Photo credit: © Konstantinos Tsakalidis / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: ancient, attraction, attractions, canal, corinth, destination, greece, greek, historical, history, interest, interesting, isthmus, korinthos, place, sea, sights, sightseeing, travel
