ἀρχὴ δὲ τῆς παραλίας ἑκατέρας τῆς μὲν τὸ Λέχαιον τῆς δὲ Κεγχρεαὶ κώμη καὶ λιμὴν ἀπέχων τῆς πόλεως ὅσον ἑβδομήκοντα σταδίους· τούτῳ μὲν οὖν χρῶνται πρὸς τοὺς ἐκ τῆς Ἀσίας πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ἐκ τῆς Ἰταλίας τῷ Λεχαίῳ. τὸ δὲ Λέχαιον ὑποπέπτωκε τῇ πόλει κατοικίαν ἔχον οὐ πολλήν· σκέλη δὲ καθείλκυσται σταδίων περὶ δώδεκα ἑκατέρωθεν τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς ἐπὶ τὸ Λέχαιον. ἐντεῦθεν δὲ παρεκτείνουσα ἡ ᾐὼν μέχρι Παγῶν τῆς Μεγαρίδος κλύζεται μὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ Κορινθιακοῦ κόλπου, κοίλη δʼ ἐστὶ καὶ ποιεῖ τὸν δίολκον πρὸς τὴν ἑτέραν ᾐόνα τὴν κατὰ Σχοινοῦντα πλησίον ὄντα τῶν Κεγχρεῶν. ἐν δὲ τῷ μεταξὺ τοῦ Λεχαίου καὶ Παγῶν τὸ τῆς Ἀκραίας μαντεῖον Ἥρας ὑπῆρχε τὸ παλαιόν, καὶ αἱ Ὀλμιαὶ τὸ ποιοῦν ἀκρωτήριον τὸν κόλπον ἐν ᾧ ἥ τε Οἰνόη καὶ Παγαί, τὸ μὲν τῶν Μεγαρέων φρούριον ἡ δὲ Οἰνόη τῶν Κορινθίων. ἀπὸ τῶν Κεγχρεῶν ὁ Σχοινοῦς, καθʼ ὃν τὸ στενὸν τοῦ διόλκου· ἔπειθʼ ἡ Κρομμυωνία. πρόκειται δὲ τῆς ᾐόνος ταύτης ὅ τε Σαρωνικὸς κόλπος καὶ ὁ Ἐλευσινιακός, τρόπον τινὰ ὁ αὐτὸς ὤν, συνεχὴς τῷ Ἑρμιονικῷ. ἐπὶ δὲ τῷ Ἰσθμῷ καὶ τὸ τοῦ Ἰσθμίου Ποσειδῶνος ἱερὸν ἄλσει πιτυώδει συνηρεφές, ὅπου τὸν ἀγῶνα τῶν Ἰσθμίων Κορίνθιοι συνετέλουν. ἡ δὲ Κρομμυὼν ἔστι κώμη τῆς Κορινθίας, πρότερον δὲ τῆς Μεγαρίδος, ἐν ᾗ μυθεύουσι τὰ περὶ τὴν Κρομμυωνίαν ὗν, ἣν μητέρα τοῦ Καλυδωνίου κάπρου φασί· καὶ τῶν Θησέως ἄθλων ἕνα τοῦτον παραδιδόασι τὴν τῆς ὑὸς ταύτης ἐξαίρεσιν. καὶ ἡ Τενέα δʼ ἐστὶ κώμη τῆς Κορινθίας, ἐν ᾗ τοῦ Τενεάτου Ἀπόλλωνος ἱερόν· λέγεται δὲ καὶ Ἀρχίᾳ τῷ στείλαντι τὴν εἰς Συρακούσας ἀποικίαν τοὺς πλείστους τῶν ἐποίκων ἐντεῦθεν συνεπακολουθῆσαι, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα εὐθηνεῖν μάλιστα τῶν ἄλλων τὴν κατοικίαν ταύτην, τὰ δʼ ὕστατα καὶ καθʼ αὑτοὺς πολιτεύεσθαι, προσθέσθαι τε τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἀποστάντας Κορινθίων καὶ κατασκαφείσης τῆς πόλεως συμμεῖναι. φέρεται δὲ καὶ χρησμὸς ὁ δοθείς τινι τῶν ἐκ τῆς Ἀσίας ἐρωτῶντι εἰ λῷον εἴη μετοικεῖν εἰς Κόρινθον εὐδαίμων ὁ Κόρινθος, ἐγὼ δʼ εἴην Τενεάτης. / ὅπερ κατʼ ἄγνοιάν τινες παρατρέπουσιν ἐγὼ δʼ εἴην Τεγεάτης. λέγεται δʼ ἐνταῦθα ἐκθρέψαι Πόλυβος τὸν Οἰδίπουν. δοκεῖ δὲ καὶ συγγένειά τις εἶναι Τενεδίοις πρὸς τούτους ἀπὸ Τέννου τοῦ Κύκνου, καθάπερ εἴρηκεν Ἀριστοτέλης· καὶ ἡ τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος δὲ τιμὴ παρʼ ἀμφοτέροις ὁμοία οὖσα δίδωσιν οὐ μικρὰ σημεῖα.
Lechaeum is the commencement of the coast on one side; and on the other, Cenchreae, a village with a harbour, distant from the city about 70 stadia. The latter serves for the trade with Asia, and Lechaeum for that with Italy.
Lechaeum is situated below the city, and is not well inhabited. There are long walls of about 12 stadia in length, stretching on each side of the road towards Lechaeum. The sea-shore, extending hence to Pagae in Megaris, is washed by the Corinthian Gulf. It is curved, and forms the Diolcus, or the passage along which vessels are drawn over the Isthmus to the opposite coast at Schoenus near Cenchreae.
Between Lechaeum and Pagae, anciently, there was the oracle of the Acraean Juno, and Olmiae, the promontory that forms the gulf, on which are situated Oenoe, and Page; the former is a fortress of the Megarians; and Oenoe is a fortress of the Corinthians.
Next to Cenchreae is Schoenus, where is the narrow part of the Diolcus, then Crommyonia. In front of this coast lies the Saronic Gulf, and the Eleusiniac, which is almost the same, and continuous with the Hermionic. Upon the Isthmus is the temple of the Isthmian Neptune, shaded above with a grove of pine trees, where the Corinthians celebrated the Isthmian games.
Crommyon is a village of the Corinthian district, and formerly belonging to that of Megaris, where is laid the scene of the fable of the Crommyonian sow, which, it is said, was the dam of the Calydonian boar, and, according to tradition, the: destruction of this sow was one of the labours of Theseus.
Tenea is a village of the Corinthian territory, where there was a temple of Apollo Teneates. It is said that Archias, who equipped a colony for Syracuse, was accompanied by a great number of settlers from this place; and that this settlement afterwards flourished more than any others, and at length had an independent form of government of its own. When they revolted from the Corinthians, they attached themselves to the Romans, and continued to subsist when Corinth was destroyed.
An answer of an oracle is circulated, which was returned to an Asiatic, who inquired whether it was better to migrate to Corinth; Corinth is prosperous, but I would belong to Tenea; / which last word was perverted by some through ignorance, and altered to Tegea. Here, it is said, Polybus brought up Oedipus.
There seems to be some affinity between the Tenedii and these people, through Tennus, the son of Cycnus, according to Aristotle; the similarity, too, of the divine honours paid by both to Apollo affords no slight proof of this relationship.
Κορίνθιοι δʼ ὑπὸ Φιλίππῳ ὄντες ἐκείνῳ τε συνεφιλονείκησαν καὶ ἰδίᾳ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ὑπεροπτικῶς εἶχον, ὥστε τινὲς καὶ τῶν πρέσβεων παριόντων τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτῶν ἐθάρρησαν καταντλῆσαι βόρβορον. ἀντὶ τούτων μὲν οὖν καὶ ἄλλων ὧν ἐξήμαρτον ἔτισαν δίκας αὐτίκα· πεμφθείσης γὰρ ἀξιολόγου στρατιᾶς, αὐτή τε κατέσκαπτο ὑπὸ Λευκίου Μομμίου καὶ τἆλλα μέχρι Μακεδονίας ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίοις ἐγένετο, ἐν ἄλλοις ἄλλων πεμπομένων στρατηγῶν· τὴν δὲ χώραν ἔσχον Σικυώνιοι τὴν πλείστην τῆς Κορινθίας. Πολύβιος δὲ τὰ συμβάντα περὶ τὴν ἅλωσιν ἐν οἴκτου μέρει λέγων προστίθησι καὶ τὴν στρατιωτικὴν ὀλιγωρίαν τὴν περὶ τὰ τῶν τεχνῶν ἔργα καὶ τὰ ἀναθήματα. φησὶ γὰρ ἰδεῖν παρὼν ἐρριμμένους πίνακας ἐπʼ ἐδάφους, πεττεύοντας δὲ τοὺς στρατιώτας ἐπὶ τούτων. ὀνομάζει δʼ αὐτῶν Ἀριστείδου γραφὴν τοῦ Διονύσου, ἐφʼ οὗ τινες εἰρῆσθαί φασι τὸ οὐδὲν πρὸς τὸν Διόνυσον, καὶ τὸν Ἡρακλέα τὸν καταπονούμενον τῷ τῆς Δηιανείρας χιτῶνι. τοῦτον μὲν οὖν οὐχ ἑωράκαμεν ἡμεῖς, τὸν δὲ Διόνυσον ἀνακείμενον ἐν τῷ Δημητρείῳ τῷ ἐν Ῥώμῃ κάλλιστον ἔργον ἑωρῶμεν· ἐμπρησθέντος δὲ τοῦ νεὼ συνηφανίσθη καὶ ἡ γραφὴ νεωστί. σχεδὸν δέ τι καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀναθημάτων τῶν ἐν Ῥώμῃ τὰ πλεῖστα καὶ ἄριστα ἐντεῦθεν ἀφῖχθαι· τινὰ δὲ καὶ αἱ κύκλῳ τῆς Ῥώμης πόλεις ἔσχον. μεγαλόφρων γὰρ ὢν μᾶλλον ἢ φιλότεχνος ὁ Μόμμιος, ὥς φασι, μετεδίδου ῥᾳδίως τοῖς δεηθεῖσι. Λεύκολλος δὲ κατασκευάσας τὸ τῆς Εὐτυχίας ἱερὸν καὶ στοάν τινα χρῆσιν ᾐτήσατο ὧν εἶχεν ἀνδριάντων ὁ Μόμμιος, ὡς κοσμήσων τὸ ἱερὸν μέχρι ἀναδείξεως, εἶτʼ ἀποδώσων· οὐκ ἀπέδωκε δέ, ἀλλʼ ἀνέθηκε κελεύσας αἴρειν εἰ βούλεται· πράως δʼ ἤνεγκεν ἐκεῖνος οὐ φροντίσας οὐδέν, ὥστʼ ηὐδοκίμει τοῦ ἀναθέντος μᾶλλον. πολὺν δὲ χρόνον ἐρήμη μείνασα ἡ Κόρινθος ἀνελήφθη πάλιν ὑπὸ Καίσαρος τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ τὴν εὐφυΐαν, ἐποίκους πέμψαντος τοῦ ἀπελευθερικοῦ γένους πλείστους· οἳ τὰ ἐρείπια κινοῦντες καὶ τοὺς τάφους συνανασκάπτοντες εὕρισκον ὀστρακίνων τορευμάτων πλήθη, πολλὰ δὲ καὶ χαλκώματα· θαυμάζοντες δὲ τὴν κατασκευὴν οὐδένα τάφον ἀσκευώρητον εἴασαν, ὥστε εὐπορήσαντες τῶν τοιούτων καὶ διατιθέμενοι πολλοῦ νεκροκορινθίων ἐπλήρωσαν τὴν Ῥώμην· οὕτω γὰρ ἐκάλουν τὰ ἐκ τῶν τάφων ληφθέντα, καὶ μάλιστα τὰ ὀστράκινα. κατʼ ἀρχὰς μὲν οὖν ἐτιμήθη σφόδρα ὁμοίως τοῖς χαλκώμασι τοῖς κορινθιουργέσιν, εἶτʼ ἐπαύσαντο τῆς σπουδῆς, ἐκλιπόντων τῶν ὀστράκων καὶ οὐδὲ κατωρθωμένων τῶν πλείστων. ἡ μὲν δὴ πόλις ἡ τῶν Κορινθίων μεγάλη τε καὶ πλουσία διὰ παντὸς ὑπῆρξεν, ἀνδρῶν τε ηὐπόρησεν ἀγαθῶν εἴς τε τὰ πολιτικὰ καὶ εἰς τὰς τέχνας τὰς δημιουργικάς· μάλιστα γὰρ καὶ ἐνταῦθα καὶ ἐν Σικυῶνι ηὐξήθη γραφική τε καὶ πλαστικὴ καὶ πᾶσα ἡ τοιαύτη δημιουργία. χώραν δʼ ἔσχεν οὐκ εὔγεων σφόδρα, ἀλλὰ σκολιάν τε καὶ τραχεῖαν, ἀφʼ οὗ πάντες ὀφρυόεντα Κόρινθον εἰρήκασι καὶ παροιμιάζονται Κόρινθος ὀφρυᾷ τε καὶ κοιλαίνεται.
The Corinthians, when subject to Philip, espoused his party very zealously, and individually conducted themselves so contemptuously towards the Romans, that persons ventured to throw down filth upon their ambassadors, when passing by their houses. They were immediately punished for these and other offences and insults. A large army was sent out under the commaud of Lucius Mummius, who razed the city. The rest of the country, as far as Macedonia, was subjected to the Romans under different generals. The Sicyonii, however, had the largest part of the Corinthian territory.
Polybius relates with regret what occurred at the capture of the city, and speaks of the indifference the soldiers showed for works of art, and the sacred offerings of the temples. He says, that he was present, and saw pictures thrown upon the ground, and soldiers playing at dice upon them. Among others, he specifies by name the picture of Bacchus by Aristeides, (to which it is said the proverb was applied, Nothing to the Bacchus,) and Hercules tortured in the robe, the gift of Deïaneira. This I have not myself seen, but I have seen the picture of the Bacchus suspended in the Demetreium at Rome, a very beautiful piece of art, which, together with the temple, was lately consumed by fire. The greatest number and the finest of the other offerings in Rome were brought from Corinth. Some of them were in the possession of the cities in the neighbourhood of Rome. For Mummius being more brave and generous than an admirer of the arts, presented them without hesitation to those who asked for them. Lucullus, having built the temple of Good Fortune, and a portico, requested of Mummius the use of some statues, under the pretext of ornamenting the temple with them at the time of its dedication, and promised to restore them. He did not, however, restore, but presented them as sacred offerings, and told Mummius to take them away if he pleased. Mummius did not resent this conduct, not caring about the statues, but obtained more honour than Lucullus, who presented them as sacred offerings.
Corinth remained a long time deserted, till at length it was restored on account of its natural advantages by divus Caesar, who sent colonists thither, who consisted, for the most part, of the descendants of free-men.
On moving the ruins, and digging open the sepulchres, an abundance of works in pottery with figures on them, and many in brass, were found. The workmanship was admired, and all the sepulchres were examined with the greatest care. Thus was obtained a large quantity of things, which were disposed of at a great price, and Rome filled with Necro-Corinthia, by which name were distinguished the articles taken out of the sepulchres, and particularly the pottery. At first these latter were held in as much esteem as the works of the Corinthian artists in brass, but this desire to have them did not continue, not only because the supply failed, but because the greatest part of them were not well executed.
The city of Corinth was large and opulent at all periods, and produced a great number of statesmen and artists. For here in particular, and at Sicyon, flourished painting, and modelling, and every art of this kind.
The soil was not very fertile; its surface was uneven and rugged, whence all writers describe Corinth as full of brows of hills, and apply the proverb, Corinth rises with brows of hills, and sinks into hollows. /
Ὀρνεαὶ δʼ εἰσὶν ἐπώνυμοι τῷ παραρρέοντι ποταμῷ, νῦν μὲν ἔρημοι πρότερον δʼ οἰκούμεναι καλῶς, ἱερὸν ἔχουσαι Πριάπου τιμώμενον, ἀφʼ ὧν καὶ ὁ τὰ Πριάπεια ποιήσας Εὐφορίων Ὀρνεάτην καλεῖ τὸν θεόν· κεῖνται δʼ ὑπὲρ τοῦ πεδίου τοῦ Σικυωνίων, τὴν δὲ χώραν ἔσχον Ἀργεῖοι. Ἀραιθυρέα δʼ ἐστὶν ἡ νῦν Φλιασία καλουμένη, πόλιν δʼ εἶχεν ὁμώνυμον τῇ χώρᾳ πρὸς ὄρει Κηλώσσῃ· οἱ δʼ ὕστερον ἀναστάντες ἐκεῖθεν πρὸ τριάκοντα σταδίων ἔκτισαν πόλιν, ἣν ἐκάλεσαν Φλιοῦντα· τῆς δὲ Κηλώσσης μέρος ὁ Καρνεάτης, ὅθεν λαμβάνει τὴν ἀρχὴν Ἀσωπὸς ὁ παραρρέων τὴν Σικυῶνα καὶ ποιῶν τὴν Ἀσωπίαν χώραν, μέρος οὖσαν τῆς Σικυωνίας. ἔστι δʼ Ἀσωπὸς καὶ ὁ παρὰ Θήβας ῥέων καὶ Πλαταιὰς καὶ Τάναγραν, ἄλλος δʼ ἔστιν ἐν Ἡρακλείᾳ τῇ Τραχινίᾳ παρὰ κώμην ῥέων ἣν Παρασωπίους ὀνομάζουσι, τέταρτος δʼ ὁ ἐν Πάρῳ. κεῖται δʼ ὁ Φλιοῦς ἐν μέσῳ Σικυωνίας Ἀργείας Κλεωνῶν καὶ Στυμφάλου κύκλῳ περιεχόμενος· τιμᾶται δʼ ἐν Φλιοῦντι καὶ Σικυῶνι τὸ τῆς Δίας ἱερόν· καλοῦσι δʼ οὕτω τὴν Ἥβην.
Orneae has the same name as the river which flows beside it. At present it is deserted; formerly, it was well inhabited, and contained a temple of Priapus, held in veneration. It is from this place that Euphronius, (Euphorius?) the author of a poem, the Priapeia, applies the epithet Orneates to the god.
It was situated above the plain of the Sicyonians, but the Argives were masters of the country.
Araethyrea is now called Phliasia. It had a city of the same name as the country near the mountain Celossa. They afterwards removed thence and built a city at the distance of 30 stadia, which they called Phlius. Part of the mountain Celossa is the Carneates, whence the Asopus takes its rise, which flows by Sicyon, and forms the Asopian district, which is a part of Sicyonia. There is also an Asopus, which flows by Thebes, and Plataea, and Tanagra. There is another also in Heracleia Trachinia, which flows beside a village, called Parasopii, and a fourth at Paros.
Phlius is situated in the middle of a circle formed by Sicyonia, Argeia, Cleonae, and Stymphalus. At Phlius and at Sicyon the temple of Dia, a name given to Hebe, is held in veneration.
τὴν δὲ Σικυῶνα πρότερον Μηκώνην ἐκάλουν, ἔτι δὲ πρότερον Αἰγιαλεῖς· ἀνῴκισε δʼ αὐτὴν ἀπὸ θαλάττης ὅσον εἴκοσι σταδίοις (οἱ δὲ δώδεκά φασιν) ἐπὶ λόφον ἐρυμνὸν Δημήτριος· τὸ δὲ παλαιὸν κτίσμα ἐπίνειόν ἐστιν ἔχον λιμένα. ὁρίζει δὲ τὴν Σικυωνίαν καὶ τὴν Κορινθίαν ποταμὸς Νεμέα· ἐτυραννήθη δὲ πλεῖστον χρόνον, ἀλλʼ ἀεὶ τοὺς τυράννους ἐπιεικεῖς ἄνδρας ἔσχεν, Ἄρατον δʼ ἐπιφανέστατον, ὃς καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἠλευθέρωσε, καὶ Ἀχαιῶν ἦρξε παρʼ ἑκόντων λαβὼν τὴν ἐξουσίαν, καὶ τὸ σύστημα ηὔξησε προσθεὶς αὐτῷ τήν τε πατρίδα καὶ τὰς ἄλλας πόλεις τὰς ἐγγύς. Ὑπερησίην δὲ καὶ τὰς ἑξῆς πόλεις ἃς ὁ ποιητὴς λέγει, καὶ τὸν Αἰγιαλὸν τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἤδη συμβέβηκεν εἶναι μέχρι Δύμης καὶ τῶν ὅρων τῆς Ἠλείας.
Sicyon was formerly called Mecone, and at a still earlier period, Aegiali. It was rebuilt high up in the country about 20, others say, about 12, stadia from the sea, upon an eminences naturally strong, which is sacred to Ceres. The buildings anciently consisted of a naval arsenal and a harbour.
Sicyonia is separated by the river Nemea from the Corinthian territory. It was formerly governed for a very long period by tyrants, but they were always persons of mild and moderate disposition. Of these, the most illustrious was Aratus, who made the city free, and was the chief of the Achaeans, who voluntarily conferred upon him that power; he extended the confederacy by annexing to it his own country, and the other neighbouring cities.
Hyperesia, and the cities next in order in the Catalogue of the poet, and Aegialus, [or the sea-coast,] as far as Dyme, and the borders of the Eleian territory, belong to the Achaeans.
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