Corinth Forum Ruins

Ruins of the Forum and the Temple of Apollo at Ancient Corinth. Photograph by Todd Bolen.

Ancient Corinth was a Greek city-state located halfway between the city-states of Athens and Sparta. In 146 B.C.E., Rome conquered and destroyed the city, but Julius Caesar rebuilt it as a Roman city in 44 B.C.E. Included in the rebuilding was the mid-sixth-century B.C.E., brightly painted Temple of Apollo, which had 38 columns, of which only seven remain. The Christian apostle Paul is thought to have visited the city in 51 or 52 C.E. and wrote at least four epistles to the Corinthians, two of which were accepted into the New Testament canon. 1 Corinthians was written while Paul was in the ancient city of Ephesus, and 2 Corinthians was written from ancient Macedonia. Corinth survived later attacks and earthquakes but was destroyed by the crusaders the 12th century. The modern city of Corinth is located nearby.