Corinth, Isthmus of

Corinth, Isthmus of

Modern Greek  Isthmós Korínthou,  

      isthmus dividing the Saronic Gulf (an inlet of the Aegean Sea) from the Gulf of Corinth (an inlet of the Ionian Sea). The Isthmus of Corinth connects the Peloponnese with mainland Greece. It is made up of heavily faulted limestone rising from the south in terraces to a bleak, windswept central plateau almost 300 feet (90 m) above sea level. In ancient times ships were dragged over the isthmus in transit between the Saronic and Corinthian gulfs, and in AD 67 the Roman emperor Nero began a canal through it. In 1893 a 3.9-mile (6.3-kilometre) ship canal, the Corinth Canal, was opened that shortened the journey from the Adriatic Sea to Athens' port, Piraeus, by more than 200 miles (320 km). To the south is the site of the Isthmian sanctuary at which the biennial Isthmian Games were celebrated in antiquity.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Corinth,Isthmus of — Corinth, Isthmus of A narrow isthmus connecting central Greece with the Peloponnesus. It lies between the Gulf of Corinth and the Saronic Sea and is crossed by the Corinth Canal, constructed from 1881 to 1893. * * * …   Universalium

  • Corinth, Isthmus of — …   Useful english dictionary

  • Corinth Canal — ▪ waterway, Greece  tidal waterway (canals and inland waterways) across the Isthmus of Corinth (Corinth, Isthmus of) in Greece, joining the Gulf of Corinth in the northwest with the Saronic Gulf in the southeast. The isthmus was first crossed by… …   Universalium

  • Corinth Canal — Canal of Corinth Principal engineer István Türr and Béla Gerster Construction began 1881 …   Wikipedia

  • Corinth (disambiguation) — Corinth is a town in Greece. It may also refer to: Contents 1 Related to Corinth, Greece 2 Places in the United States 3 Places in Brazil 4 Places in Colombia …   Wikipedia

  • CORINTH — CORINTH, Greek city. The earliest evidence of Jews in Corinth is contained in Agrippa I s letter to Caligula (Philo, De Legatione ad Caium, 281). The apostle Paul spent one and a half years in Corinth, preaching in the synagogue on Sabbaths (cf.… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Isthmus — Isth mus (?; 277), n.; pl. {Isthmuses}. [L. isthmus, Gr. isqmo s a neck, a neck of land between two seas, an isthmus, especially the Isthmus of Corinth; prob. from the root of ie nai to go; cf. Icel. ei[eth] isthmus. See {Issue}.] (Geog.) A neck… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Isthmus of the fauces — Isthmus Isth mus (?; 277), n.; pl. {Isthmuses}. [L. isthmus, Gr. isqmo s a neck, a neck of land between two seas, an isthmus, especially the Isthmus of Corinth; prob. from the root of ie nai to go; cf. Icel. ei[eth] isthmus. See {Issue}.] (Geog.) …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Corinth — [kôr′inth, kär′inth] 1. ancient city in the NE Peloponnesus, at the head of the Gulf of Corinth, noted for its luxury: fl. 7th 2d cent. B.C. 2. modern city near the site of ancient Corinth: pop. 12,000: Gr. name KORINTHOS 3. Gulf of arm of the… …   English World dictionary

  • ISTHMUS — tractusest terrae angustus, per quem ex lata terrae parte in aliam talem venitur: Hic multiplex. 1. Peloponnesi, qui et Corinthiacus, quo Peloponnesus reliquae Graeciae connectitur, 40. stad. inter sinum Corinth. ad Occas. et Saronicum ad Ort.… …   Hofmann J. Lexicon universale

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