The site of Ancient Corinth was first inhabited in the Neolithic period (5000-3000 B.C.). The peak period of the town, though, started in the 8th century B.C. and lasted until its destruction by the Roman general Mummius in 146 B.C. Representative of its wealth is the Doric temple of Apollo which was built in 550 B.C.

The city was reinhabited in 44 B.C. and gradually developed again. In 51/52 A.D., Apostle Paul visited Corinth. The centre of the Roman city was organized to the south of the temple of Apollo and included shops, small shrines, fountains, baths and other public buildings.

The invasion of the Herulians in A.D. 267, initiated the decline of the city though it remained inhabited for many centuries through successive invasions and destructions, until it was liberated from the Turks in 1822.

Geography - The city of Corinth is situated on the Isthmus of Corinth, which joined the Peloponnesus to the mainland of Greece. Corinth has 900 square kilometres of mountains and farmland.

Weather - Spring and autumn weather is the most pleasant, while the summer is hot and dry. Winters are mild in Crete and Rhodes and cooler as one moves north as well as inland. The prevailing winds of summer are northerly. It blows at its strongest in July and August. Violent storms occur only in winter, February being a particularly bad month, but overall the weather is pleasant and extreme conditions are rarely known.

• Take a tour of Corinth. [ tour 1 | tour 2 ]