Isthmia

Abstract

At the crossroads of mainland Greece, the shrine of Poseidon on the Corinthian Isthmus drew visitors throughout Antiquity. The first offerings appeared in the Early Iron Age near a Mycenean settlement attested by a recently discovered house dating at least from c. 1650 to 1425 bce. A monumental stone temple erected in the early seventh century bce marked the beginning of the sanctuary’s prosperity. Athletic and equestrian competitions in honor of Poseidon were formally organized as the Isthmian games that joined the contests at Olympia, Delphi, and Nemea to create a Panhellenic cycle. The name Isthmia is a modern term taken from the Greek ΤαΙσθμια, referring to the games on the Isthmus. By the Classical period, musical events were added to the program, and boat races may have been included. The sanctuary hosted interstate assemblies during the Classical-Hellenistic periods, most notably in 196 bce when the Roman consul Flamininus proclaimed freedom for the Greek states. Half a century later another Roman consul, Mummius, sacked Corinth and Sicyon assumed sponsorship of the games. With the founding of a Roman colony at the city in 44 bce, the games returned to Corinth and a few decades later to the Isthmus, where they continued until sometime in the late third or fourth century ce. A century later the buildings of the sanctuary furnished material for construction of a trans-isthmian wall and fortress known as the Hexamilion. The fortress remained a center of activity on the Isthmus for many centuries. The principal buildings of the sanctuary included the Temple to Poseidon, a stadium, a theater, and a gymnasium. The first Isthmian stadium was originally constructed close to the altar of Poseidon. With increasing crowds in the early third century bce, a new stadium was located in the valley southeast of the temple, where competitions continued in Roman times. For musical events that were characteristic of the Isthmia program, a small theater was provided, and near it was a hundred-foot-square bathing pool that was probably part of the gymnasium located to its west. With the Roman rebuilding of the sanctuary, a bath building replaced the gymnasium; stoas and other buildings were added, including a shrine to Palaimon, the hero of the games. A monumental gateway of the late first century ce, which was later incorporated into the Byzantine fortress, marked the entrance from Athens.