τοῦ περιβόλου δέ ἐστιν ἐντὸς Παλαίμονος ἐν ἀριστερᾷ ναός, ἀγάλματα δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ Ποσειδῶν καὶ Λευκοθέα καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Παλαίμων. ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἄλλο Ἄδυτον καλούμενον, κάθοδος δὲ ἐς αὐτὸ ὑπόγεως, ἔνθα δὴ τὸν Παλαίμονα κεκρύφθαι φασίν· ὃς δʼ ἂν ἐνταῦθα ἢ Κορινθίων ἢ ξένος ἐπίορκα ὀμόσῃ, οὐδεμία ἐστίν οἱ μηχανὴ διαφυγεῖν τοῦ ὅρκου. καὶ δὴ ἱερόν ἐστιν ἀρχαῖον Κυκλώπων καλούμενος βωμός, καὶ θύουσιν ἐπʼ αὐτῷ Κύκλωψι.
τάφους δὲ Σισύφου καὶ Νηλέως—καὶ γὰρ Νηλέα ἀφικόμενον ἐς Κόρινθον νόσῳ τελευτῆσαί φασι καὶ περὶ τὸν ἰσθμὸν ταφῆναι—οὐκ ἂν οἶδʼ εἰ ζητοίη τις ἐπιλεξάμενος τὰ Εὐμήλου· Νηλέως μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲ Νέστορι ἐπιδειχθῆναι τὸ μνῆμα ὑπὸ τοῦ Σισύφου φησί, χρῆναι γὰρ ἄγνωστον τοῖς πᾶσιν ὁμοίως εἶναι, Σίσυφον δὲ ταφῆναι μὲν ἐν τῷ ἰσθμῷ, τὸν δέ οἱ τάφον καὶ τῶν ἐφʼ αὑτοῦ Κορινθίων ὀλίγους εἶναι τοὺς εἰδότας. ὁ δὲ Ἰσθμικὸς ἀγὼν οὐδὲ ἀναστάντων ὑπὸ Μομμίου Κορινθίων ἐξέλιπεν, ἀλλʼ ὅσον μὲν χρόνον ἠρήμωτο ἡ πόλις, Σικυωνίοις ἄγειν ἐπετέτραπτο τὰ Ἴσθμια, οἰκισθείσης δὲ αὖθις ἐς τοὺς νῦν οἰκήτορας περιῆλθεν ἡ τιμή.
Κορινθίοις δὲ τοῖς ἐπινείοις τὰ ὀνόματα Λέχης καὶ Κεγχρίας ἔδοσαν, Ποσειδῶνος εἶναι καὶ Πειρήνης τῆς Ἀχελῴου λεγόμενοι· πεποίηται δὲ ἐν Ἠοίαις μεγάλαις Οἰβάλου θυγατέρα εἶναι Πειρήνην. ἔστι δὲ ἐν Λεχαίῳ μὲν Ποσειδῶνος ἱερὸν καὶ ἄγαλμα χαλκοῦν, τὴν δὲ ἐς Κεγχρέας ἰόντων ἐξ ἰσθμοῦ ναὸς Ἀρτέμιδος καὶ ξόανον ἀρχαῖον. ἐν δὲ Κεγχρέαις Ἀφροδίτης τέ ἐστι ναὸς καὶ ἄγαλμα λίθου, μετὰ δὲ αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῷ ἐρύματι τῷ διὰ τῆς θαλάσσης Ποσειδῶνος χαλκοῦν, κατὰ δὲ τὸ ἕτερον πέρας τοῦ λιμένος Ἀσκληπιοῦ καὶ Ἴσιδος ἱερά. Κεγχρεῶν δὲ ἀπαντικρὺ τὸ Ἑλένης ἐστὶ λουτρόν· ὕδωρ ἐς θάλασσαν ἐκ πέτρας ῥεῖ πολὺ καὶ ἁλμυρὸν ὕδατι ὅμοιον ἀρχομένῳ θερμαίνεσθαι.
ἀνιοῦσι δὲ ἐς Κόρινθον καὶ ἄλλα ἐστὶ κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν μνήματα καὶ πρὸς τῇ πύλῃ Διογένης τέθαπται ὁ Σινωπεύς, ὃν κύνα ἐπίκλησιν καλοῦσιν Ἕλληνες. πρὸ δὲ τῆς πόλεως κυπαρίσσων ἐστὶν ἄλσος ὀνομαζόμενον Κράνειον. ἐνταῦθα Βελλεροφόντου τέ ἐστι τέμενος καὶ Ἀφροδίτης ναὸς Μελαινίδος καὶ τάφος Λαΐδος, ᾧ δὴ λέαινα ἐπίθημά ἐστι κριὸν ἔχουσα ἐν τοῖς προτέροις ποσίν.
ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἄλλο ἐν Θεσσαλίᾳ Λαΐδος φάμενον μνῆμα εἶναι· παρεγένετο γὰρ καὶ ἐς Θεσσαλίαν ἐρασθεῖσα Ἱπποστράτου. τὸ δὲ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐξ Ὑκάρων αὐτὴν τῶν ἐν Σικελίᾳ λέγεται παῖδα οὖσαν ὑπὸ Νικίου καὶ Ἀθηναίων ἁλῶναι, πραθεῖσαν δὲ ἐς Κόρινθον ὑπερβαλέσθαι κάλλει τὰς τότε ἑταίρας, θαυμασθῆναί τε· οὕτω παρὰ Κορινθίοις ὡς ἀμφισβητεῖν σφᾶς καὶ νῦν ἔτι Λαΐδος.
λόγου δὲ ἄξια ἐν τῇ πόλει τὰ μὲν λειπόμενα ἔτι τῶν ἀρχαίων ἐστίν, τὰ δὲ πολλὰ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀκμῆς ἐποιήθη τῆς ὕστερον. ἔστιν οὖν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς— ἐνταῦθα γὰρ πλεῖστά ἐστι τῶν ἱερῶν—Ἄρτεμίς τε ἐπίκλησιν Ἐφεσία καὶ Διονύσου ξόανα ἐπίχρυσα πλὴν τῶν προσώπων· τὰ δὲ πρόσωπα ἀλοιφῇ σφισιν ἐρυθρᾷ κεκόσμηται· Λύσιον δέ, τὸν δὲ Βάκχειον ὀνομάζουσι.
τὰ δὲ λεγόμενα ἐς τὰ ξόανα καὶ ἐγὼ γράφω. Πενθέα ὑβρίζοντα ἐς Διόνυσον καὶ ἄλλα τολμᾶν λέγουσι καὶ τέλος ἐς τὸν Κιθαιρῶνα ἐλθεῖν ἐπὶ κατασκοπῇ τῶν γυναικῶν, ἀναβάντα δὲ ἐς δένδρον θεάσασθαι τὰ ποιούμενα· τὰς δέ, ὡς ἐφώρασαν, καθελκύσαι τε αὐτίκα Πενθέα καὶ ζῶντος ἀποσπᾶν ἄλλο ἄλλην τοῦ σώματος. ὕστερον δέ, ὡς Κορίνθιοι λέγουσιν, ἡ Πυθία χρᾷ σφισιν ἀνευρόντας τὸ δένδρον ἐκεῖνο ἴσα τῷ θεῷ σέβειν· καὶ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ διὰ τόδε τὰς εἰκόνας πεποίηνται ταύτας.
ἔστι δὲ καὶ Τύχης ναός· ἄγαλμα ὀρθὸν Παρίου λίθου· παρὰ δὲ αὐτὸν θεοῖς πᾶσίν ἐστιν ἱερόν. πλησίον δὲ ᾠκοδόμηται κρήνη, καὶ Ποσειδῶν ἐπʼ αὐτῇ χαλκοῦς καὶ δελφὶς ὑπὸ τοῖς ποσίν ἐστι τοῦ Ποσειδῶνος ἀφιεὶς ὕδωρ. καὶ Ἀπόλλων ἐπίκλησιν Κλάριος χαλκοῦς ἐστι καὶ ἄγαλμα Ἀφροδίτης Ἑρμογένους Κυθηρίου ποιήσαντος. Ἑρμοῦ τέ ἐστιν ἀγάλματα χαλκοῦ μὲν καὶ ὀρθὰ ἀμφότερα, τῷ δὲ ἑτέρῳ καὶ ναὸς πεποίηται. τὰ δὲ τοῦ Διός, καὶ ταῦτα ὄντα ἐν ὑπαίθρῳ, τὸ μὲν ἐπίκλησιν οὐκ εἶχε, τὸν δὲ αὐτῶν Χθόνιον καὶ τὸν τρίτον καλοῦσιν Ὕψιστον.
Within the enclosure is a temple of Palaemon on the left: it contains images of Poseidon, Leucothea, and Palaemon himself. There is also what is called the shrine: an underground passage leads down to it. Here, they say, Palaemon is hidden. Whoever forswears himself here, be he Corinthian or be he stranger, he cannot possibly escape.
There is also an ancient sanctuary called the altar of the Cyclopes; and they sacrifice to the Cyclopes on it. They say that Neleus came to Corinth, died there, and was buried at the Isthmus; but no one who has read the works of Eumelus would think of searching for the graves of Sisyphus and Neleus. For Eumelus says that the tomb of Neleus was not shown by Sisyphus even to Nestor, it being needful that it should remain unknown to all the world. And he says that Sisyphus was buried indeed on the Isthmus, but that there were few of the Corinthians even in his own day who knew the grave. The Isthmian games were not discontinued even after the destruction of Corinth by Mummius; but so long as the city lay desolate, the conduct of the games was entrusted to the Sicyonians. But when Corinth was restored the honour devolved on its present inhabitants.
The ports of Corinth received their names from Leches and Cenchrias, said to be sons of Poseidon and Pirene, daughter of Achelous. But in the Great Eoeae it is said that Pirene was a daughter of Oebalus. In Lechaeum there is a sanctuary of Poseidon with a bronze image. On the way from the Isthmus to Cenchreae there is a temple of Artemis with an ancient wooden image. In Cenchreae there is a temple of Aphrodite with an image of stone; and beyond the temple there is a bronze image of Poseidon on the mole that runs into the sea. At the other extremity of the harbour are sanctuaries of Aesculapius and Isis. Over against Cenchreae is the bath of Helen: a copious stream of tepid salt water flows from a rock into the sea.
On the road up to Corinth there are tombs: in particular Diogenes of Sinope, whom the Greeks surname the Dog, is buried near the gate. In front of the city is a grove of cypresses named Craneum. Here there is a precinct of Bellerophon and a temple of Black Aphrodite, and the grave of Lais, which is surmounted by a lioness holding a ram in her fore-paws. There is another tomb in Thessaly which claims to be the tomb of Lais; for she went to Thessaly, too, for love of Hippostratus. It is said that she was a native of Hycara in Sicily, that she was captured as a child by the Athenians under Nicias, and that being sold to a Corinthian purchaser she surpassed in beauty all the courtesans of the age, and was so much admired by the Corinthians that they still claim her as a native of Corinth.
The remarkable objects in the city include some remains of ancient Corinth, but most of them date from the period of the restoration. In the market-place (for most of the sanctuaries are there) is an image of Artemis surnamed Ephesian; also wooden images of Dionysus gilded all over except the faces, which are adorned with red paint. One of these images of Dionysus is named the Deliverer, the other Bacchius.
The story told about these wooden images I, too, will record. They say that among the insults which Pentheus dared to offer to Dionysus he at last went to Mount Cithaeron to spy upon the women, and getting up into a tree watched their doings; but the women discovered him, dragged him instantly down, and tore him limb from limb. Afterwards the Corinthians, according to their own account, were ordered by the Pythian priestess to find the tree and to worship it as much as the god himself; so they had these images made out of the tree.
There is also a temple of Fortune: the image is erect, and is of Parian marble. Beside it is a sanctuary of all the gods. Near it there is built a water-basin: at the basin is a bronze Poseidon, and under the feet of Poseidon is a dolphin spouting water. And there is a bronze Apollo surnamed Clarian, and an image of Aphrodite made by Hermogenes of Cythera. There are also two images of Hermes, both of them of bronze, and both erect: one of them is provided with a temple. Of the images of Zeus, which are also under the open sky, one has no surname: another is called Subterranean ; and the third they name Highest.
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