Port-Towns—Lechaeum ((
Greek characters), Lechese,
Plin. iv. 4. s. 5; Lecheum, Stat. Silv. iv. S. 59), the
port on the Corinthian gulf connected with the city
by means of the Long Walls, 12 stadia in length,
already mentioned. (Strab. viii. p. 380; Xen. Hel.l
iv. 4. § 17.) The Long Walls ran nearly due north,
no that the wall cu the right hand was called the
eastern, and the one on the left hand the western or
Sicyonian. The space between then must have
been considerable; since, as we have already seen,
there was sufficient space for an army to be drawn up
for battle. [See above, p. 677, a.] The flat country
between Corinth and Lechaeum is composed only of
the and washed up by the sea; and the port inst
have been originally artificial ((Greek characters),
Dionys.), though it was no doubt rendered both
spacious and convenient by the wealthy Corinthians.
The site of the port is now indicated by a lagoon,
surrounded by hillocks of sand. Lechaeum was the
chief station of the Corinthian ships of war; and
during the occupation of Corinth by the Macedonians, it was one of the stations of the royal fleet.
It was also the emporium of the traffic with the
western parts of Greece, and with Italy and Sicily.
The proximity of Leclineum to Corinth prevented it
from becoming an important town like Peiraceus. The
only public buildings in the place mentioned by Pau-
sanius (ii. 2. § 3) was a temple of Poseidon, who is
bence called Lechneus by Callimachus. (Del. 271.)
The temple of the Olympian Zeus was probably situated upon the low ground between Corinth and the
shore of Lechaeam. (Paus. iii. 9. § 2; Theophr.
Caus. Plant. v. 14.)
Cenchreare ((Greek characters), Strab. viii. p. 980;
Paus. i. 2. § 3; Ptol. iii. 16. § 13; (Greek characters),
Thuc. iv. 49; (Greek characters), Thuc, viii. 20; (Greek characters),
Callim. Del. 271; Cenchreis or Cenchris, Ov. Trist.
i. 10.9), the part of the Saronic gulf, was distant
from Corinth about 70 stadia, and was the emporium
of the trade with Asia. (Strab. l. c.) This port was
not simply an artificial one, like that of Lechaeum.
It is a bay protected by two promontories on the
morth and south, from which the Corinthians carried
out moles, as the existing remains prove, in order to
render the harbour more secure. On a Corinthian
coin of Antoninus Pius (figured below) the part of
Cenchrese is represented as inclosed between two
promontories, on each of which stands a temple, and
between there at the entrance of the harbour a statue
of Poseidon, holding a trident in one hand and a dolphin in the other. This agrees with the description
of Pausanias, from whom we learn that the brazen
Poseidon stood upon a rock in the sea, that to the
right of the entrance was the temple of Aphrodite,
and to the left, in the direction of the warm springs,
the head of Antoninus Pius: on the reverse the port
of Cenchrene. The letters C.L.I. COR. stand for COLONIA LAVS IVLIA CORINTHVS: see above, p.678, a)were the sanctuaries of Asclepius and of Isis.
(Pans, ii. 2. §8, in which passage instead of (Greek characters),
we ought either to adopt Leake's emendation, (Greek characters),
or else (Greek characters).)
Cenchreas is mentioned in the history of St. Paul (Act. Apost. xviii. 18; Ep. ad Rom. xvi. 1.) It is now deserted, but it retains its name in the form Kekhriés. The ancient town stood upon the slopes of the hill above the town, as the numerous remains of its foundations prove. Between this hill and the heights to the right and the left there were two small plains, through one of which ran the road leading to Schoenus, and through the other the road leading to Corinth.
HARBOUR OF CENCEREA
A. Site of the town.
a a. Road to Corinth.
b b. Road to Schoenus.
Pausanias mentions (l. c.) certain luke-warm salt-springs, flowing from a rock into the sea over against Cenchrese, and called the bath of Helen. They are found about a mile SW.of Cenchrese, on the west promontory. They rise at a sufficient distance and height from the sea to turn a mill in their passage. The road from Cenchrese to Corinth ran in a southwesterly direction through a narrow valley, shut in by two ranges of mountains, which almost served the purpose of long walls. On the left hand were the high ranges of the Oneian mountains; on the right the continuation of the heights on which Cench(illegible text)eae stood.
V. The Isthmus.
The most important part of the territory of Corinth was the Isthimus, both as the place across
which merchandize was carried from the eastern to
the western sea, and more especially as hallowed
by the celebration of the Isthmian games. The
word Isthmus ((Greek characters)) probably comes from the
root (Greek characters), which appears in (Greek characters) "to go," and the
Latin i-re, and hence originally meant a passage.
From being the proper name of this spot, it came
to be applied to the neck of any peninusla. The
situation of the Isthinus, a stony plain lying between
the mountain barriers of the Geraneia on the north
and the Oreia on the south, hou been already de-
Beribed. [See above, p.674.] The word was used
both in a wider and a narrower signification. In its
whter use it indicated the whole land lying between
the two gulfs, and bence Corinth is said to have been
situated on the Ithmia ((Greek characters)
