The City Poor People are NOT Allowed to Visit

Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:

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Mightier than Sparta and wealthier than Athens, ancient Corinth was a city of trade, culture, luxuries, and riches like no other ancient Greek city. It’s a stretch of a comparison, but if Athens was the Washington, D.C. of ancient Greece, then Corinth was the Big Apple. But what made Corinth the trade capital of not just ancient Greece but the entire Mediterranean? Welcome to Nutty History! Today, we are unraveling the hidden secrets of Greece’s wealthiest city, Corinth.

Greece is a shiny gem. There was a reason Athens and Sparta were the two poles of ancient Greek politics. Athens was known for being one of the most prominent trade hubs in the Mediterranean, while Sparta, despite never having more than 8,000 soldiers in their army, was a major force that didn’t lose a battle for several centuries. The two city-states played a major part in not only the rise of Greek civilization but their rivalry also contributed to the fall of ancient Greece.

However, located between these two great city-states was another city that could be considered the best of both worlds. This city was older than both Sparta and Athens, and it was called Corinth. Corinth had the military might of Sparta and the trading convenience of Athens. Its location on the isthmus gave it a strategic and financial advantage that made the city-state extremely powerful and wealthy, controlling commerce by both land and sea.

The city of Corinth was established in 900 BC, and the land was populated by humans since 5000 BC, long before Sparta or Athens was founded. Ruled earlier by the Dorian Greek dynasty, the city became part of major Greek city-states in 747 BC after a political revolution overthrew the dynasty and installed a civil leader, a military leader, and a council to govern themselves. Still, it wasn’t exactly a democracy by the standards of those days; Corinth’s government could be defined better as an oligarchy.

After going through a slump when Alexander the Great’s father conquered it, Corinth gained prominence when Julius Caesar rebuilt it and made it the capital of Roman-controlled Greece in the 1st century BC. The city, once known for its agriculture, banking, trade, and travel industry, had humble beginnings, including a time when grave robbing was one of its major commercial activities.

The geography of the city played a significant role in its success. The isthmus of Greece is a four-mile stretch of land that connects the Peloponnesian Peninsula to the mainland of Greece, and Corinth was the bridge that connected the two. Unlike Athens, the land surrounding the Corinthian metropolis was fertile, thanks to the presence of springs. The clay quality was excellent for pottery, and skilled metalworkers added to Corinth’s commercial success.

Corinth had two trading ports: the Western Harbor of Lechium, which facilitated the import of goods from the Italian Peninsula and the rest of Europe, and the Eastern Port of Syrea, which was the hub for trade from Asia. However, south of Corinth was Cape Melly, which connected the Ionian Islands with Western Europe. The sea was particularly treacherous and difficult to navigate.

To counter this challenge and facilitate trade, the Corinthians came up with a brilliant idea that could be considered one of humanity’s first attempts to build a railroad. The aristocratic rule of the Bacchiad dynasty came to an end in 657 BC when Cypselus, a popular tyrant, took control of the city. Unlike the modern definition of a tyrant, the Greek term simply meant someone granted the authority to rule a region single-handedly due to the needs of the time.

Cypselus was responsible for expanding the influence of Corinth and founding colonies. He was succeeded by his son Periander, who realized that to make Corinth prosper, the city needed more than just military might. Considered one of the Seven Sages of Greece, Periander is a controversial figure in Greek history. Some accounts paint him as a harsh sovereign ruling with an iron fist, while others insist he was a fair and justified ruler.

Regardless, he was instrumental in Corinth’s wealth during and after his rule. He transformed Corinth into not only a commercial hub but also a cultural center, attracting people for both goods and experiences. However, getting people to Corinth wasn’t enough; there was an urgent need to improve transport between the two ports of Lechium and Syrea.

Periander initially considered digging a canal through the isthmus to connect the two seas, but legend has it that the project was halted due to warnings from Corinth’s priests about the potential wrath of the seas. Instead, he ordered the construction of a road to facilitate the movement of ships overland.

This road, known as the Diolkos, was special. It varied in width from 15 to 20 feet and was paved with porous limestone. Two grooves existed in the middle of the road, designed to prevent ships from derailing, especially at turns. The Diolkos was discovered in the modern world in the 1950s by archaeologist Nicola Vertilus, and it revealed no traces of animal hooves or machine dents, leading some historians to believe that ships were dragged by laborers.

The authorities responsible for preserving the site believe that after ships approached the coast via the Gulf of Corinth, they were hauled over a sloping stone-paved jetty before being hoisted onto wheeled vehicles. Many wagons were laden with heavy cargo and pulled by animals. The Diolkos allowed ships, goods, and passengers to avoid the dangerous Cape Melly and save time.

Thanks to the Diolkos, Corinth became a bustling market. The city’s marketplaces, workshops, and ports were frequented by ship owners, merchants, and craftsmen. Naval traders benefited from having their ships traverse through the city, allowing them to display their goods and sell directly to customers. This led to a flourishing market, with demand for Corinthian textiles, olive oil, and distinct pottery styles attracting traders from Asia, the Mediterranean, Africa, and Europe.

Corinth accumulated extreme wealth and developed a navy that competed with the Athenian naval army. Although the exact number of Corinthian warships is lost to time, it is known that the Athenian Navy consisted of around 400 ships, and Corinth nearly matched those numbers. They also developed a Greek trireme that played a major role in the Peloponnesian Wars.

The wealth Corinth gained helped the city’s artists invent a distinct architectural style characterized by ornate columns resembling leaves and flowers. Several large buildings and monuments were constructed across Corinth, creating a culture of decadence and luxury.

After Periander’s death, his nephew ruled for only three years, marking the end of the lineage of tyrants and the establishment of the Corinthian order. By then, the city had become so wealthy that a saying about Corinth became famous all over Greece: “Not everyone can go to Corinth.” The cost of living in Corinth was relatively much higher than in any other city in Greece.

One of the earliest accomplishments of the Corinthian order was the establishment of the Isthmian Games, Corinth’s own version of the ancient Olympic Games. While the original Olympic Games were dedicated to Zeus, Corinth dedicated its games to Poseidon, the god of the sea. They cleverly positioned these games in alternate years with the Olympic Games, which were held every four years.

For Corinth, these games were of utmost priority, and they meticulously controlled every detail, from the events featured to the athletes allowed to participate and the guests invited to watch. It is hard to wonder if ancient Corinth would have acquired this much power and wealth without the Diolkos.

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This version maintains the original content while ensuring clarity and coherence.