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CORINTH
Corinth is an
ancient city about
48 miles west of
Athens on the
narrow stretch of
land that joins the
Peloponnese to
the mainland of
Greece. Corinth
was an important
city in ancient
Greece. Its
commanding
position on the
Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow strip of land that separates the
Peloponnese from northern Greece, was the primary basis of its
importance. Being a leading naval power as well as a rich commercial
city enabled ancient Corinth to establish colonies in Syracuse on the
island of Sicily. These colonies served as trading posts for the richly
ornamental bronze works, textiles, and pottery that Corinth produced.
The Doric Temple of Apollo, one of Corinth's major landmarks, was
constructed in 550
BC at the height
of the city's
wealth.
THEBES
The city-state of Thebes was located on the eastern plain of Boeotia
(pronounced bee-OH-sheh) in central Greece. Thebes was situated
on wide farmlands, and it controlled northern and southern trade
routes, sot he city was able to maintain a strong farming economy.
An oligarchy governed Thebes’ large population. The Theban
possessed a strong army that often enabled them to dominate the
surround ding city-states in their region.
In ancient times, it was a small village and the main rival of Athens.
This round shaped city was surrounded by a huge wall with seven
gates, a major obstacle to enemies. Thebes gradually lost its power
and about 150-s BCE it was conquered by the Romans.
Thebes was the birthplace of the legendary hero Herakles and men
of importance like Pindar and Epameinondas, played a major role in
the affairs of Greece, from its early history as the many legends of the
city testify. Though not a great power overall, it was powerful for a
short time thanks to the genius of Epameinondas and its well trained
army that took control of Greece by defeating the invincible Sparta.
Among other achievements of Thebes was the formation of a league
under its leadership, which united almost all the Boeotian cities.
MANTINEA
The city-state of Mantinea was located on the central plain of Arcadia,
a mountainous region on the Peloponnesus landmass. Around the
sixth century BCE, Mantinea emerged as a city out of a group of
villages populated by various tribes. The city supported its small and
rather poor population with a very modest farming economy.
Mantinea’s first real form of government, which formed around 470
BCE, was a democracy.
Mantinea was the site of two significant battles in Classical Greek
history.
The First Battle of Mantinea, in 418 BCE, was the largest land battle
of the Peloponnesian War. On one side were Sparta and its
remaining allies, and on the other were Athens, its allies, plus the
cities that had revolted against the Spartans. After Laches, the
Athenian commander, was killed, the battle turned into a swift and
disorderly retreat of the Athenian and allied armies because of
greater Spartan courage.
The Second Battle of Mantinea, in 362 BCE, led to the fall of Thebes
having complete power over Greece. In that battle, Athens and
Sparta were actually allied against Thebes. Thebes won the battle,
but its greatest general, Epaminondas, was killed in the fighting.
DELOS
The city-state of Delos was located on an island in the Aegean Sea,
among a small group of islands situated east of the Peloponnesus
landmass. Although the island was only two square miles, Delos was
a thriving port. Its strong trade economy allowed it to easily support
its small population. The ancient Greeks believed that Delos was the
birthplace of the god Apollo, and the island was considered a sacred
site. Various tyrants ruled Delos until the mid 400s BCE, when a
democracy became its form of government.
ARGOS
The city-state of Argos was located three miles inland, on the rim of a
plain on the northeastern portion of the Peloponnesus landmass.
Using its large areas of farmland and its proximity to the sea, Argos
engaged in a combination of farming and trade to support its mediumsize population. Until the fifth century BCE, an oligarchy ruled Argos.
However, around 480 BCE, the people overthrew the oligarchy and
installed a democratic government. Despite the change to
democracy, Argos continued to look for ways to make its government
more stable and powerful.
olympia
Temple of Zeus
Olympia is located in the
part of Greece which is
called Peloponnesus.
Olympia is known for
having been the site of
the Olympic Games in
classical times,
comparable in importance
to the Pythian Games
held in Delphi. Both
games were held every
Olympiad (i.e. every four
years), the Olympic
Games dating back possibly further than 776 BC. Olympia is also
known for the gigantic ivory and gold statue of Zeus that used to
stand there, sculpted by Pheidias, which was named one of the
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Antipater of Sidon.
The classical period, between the 5th and 4th centuries BC, was the
golden age of the site at Olympia. A wide range of new religious and
secular buildings and structures were constructed.
The Temple of Zeus was built in the middle of the 5th century BC, its
size, scale and ornamentation was beyond anything previously
constructed on the site. Further sporting facilities, including the final
iteration of the stadium, and the hippodrome (for chariot-racing) were
constructed. The
Prytaneion was built
at the north west side
of the site in 470 BC.
MARATHON
Marathon is the Greek word
for fennel. It is believed that
the town was originally
named so because of an
abundance of fennel plants in
the area. Marathon was also
the site of the Battle of
Marathon in 490 BC, in which
the heavily outnumbered
Athenian army defeated the
Persians. The name of the
athletic long-distance
endurance race, the
"marathon", comes from the
legend of Pheidippides, a
Greek soldier, who was sent
from the town of Marathon to
Athens to announce that the
Persians had been
miraculously defeated in the
Battle of Marathon. It is said
that he ran the entire
distance without stopping, but
moments after proclaiming
his message "Nenikekamen"
("We were victorious!") to the
city, he collapsed from
exhaustion.
DELPHI
Delphi is located in lower central Greece, on multiple terraces along
the slope of Mount Parnassus, and includes the Sanctuary of Apollo,
the site of the ancient Oracle.
Delphi was the site of the Delphic oracle, the most important oracle in
the classical Greek world, and a major site for the worship of the god
Apollo after he slew the Python, a deity who lived there and protected
the navel of the Earth.
Delphi hosted the Pythian Games competition. These games,
though, were different from the games at Olympia in that they were
not of such vast importance to the city of Delphi as the games at
Olympia were to the city of Olympia. Delphi would have been a
renowned city whether or not it hosted these games; it had other
attractions that led to it being labeled the (navel or belly button) of the
earth, in other words, the center of the world. In the inner hearth of
the Temple of Apollo, an eternal flame burned. After the battle of
Plataea, the Greek cities extinguished their fires and brought new fire
from the hearth of Greece, at Delphi; in the foundation stories of
several Greek colonies, the founding colonists were first dedicated at
Delphi.