Cutting down the tallest ears of grain: archaeological evidence for tyranny and sumptuary law in ‘wealthy’ Corinth

Abstract

In one of his few references to the city of Ancient Corinth, Homer described it as wealthy, ‘aphneios.’ Yet archaeological investigation has exposed a city lacking great numbers of lavish offerings and monumental temples in the Greek periods. Explanations for this anomaly have included the Mummian destruction of the city in 146 BC, when Roman looting could have removed evidence for wealth, or the argument that the agora of Corinth has yet to be located. In a 1996 article Elizabeth Pemberton argued that the lack of opulent dedications in Corinth was because the early community made the choice to offer only goods made from that which they had. Local resources were primarily limited to wood, clay, and limestone. Since resources for marble, gold, and other metals are lacking in the Corinthia, she proposed that the city chose not to make offerings from such materials.