The role played by the sanctuary at Isthmia in the rise of the Corinthian polis from the eighth to the sixth century BC

Abstract

Bringing together selected evidence from sanctuaries and burials outside and within the Corinthia, the present study discusses the material in five chapters. Each is devoted to providing an insight into a particular aspect of overall sanctuary development. Chapter One considers all the available literary evidence relevant to the relationship between Corinth and Isthmia. This is then complemented by Chapter Two which is concerned with the archaeological evidence of Isthmia and two other contemporary Corinthian sanctuary sites at Perachora and Temple Hill. The nature and location of burial sites within the Corinthia are then discussed in Chapter Three to bring attention to the change in dedicatory habits. Chapter Four uses the evidence of the previous chapters to chart the development and influence of Isthmia socially and politically within the Corinthia and in a Panhellenic situation. Chapter Five uses comparative material to place these developments in a truly Greek context. This Thesis gives weight to recent theories about the rise of sanctuaries and the polis. It combines archaeological evidence from sanctuary and burial sites to give a broader and deeper picture of the socio-political development of Corinth.