Ancient Corinth Economy

The civilizations of the past and the present have many

commonalities. One resemblance jumps out to me as being

particularly noteworthy among the others. The modern stock

market is sometimes compared to the marketplaces of ancient

Greek towns, particularly the city of Corinth. This is the

parallel that I am referring to when I make this statement.

The city of Corinth was considered to be one of the most

economically significant settlements in all of ancient Greece.

But what was it about Corinth, or Korinthos as it was called

back then, that made it such an important element of the

country's economic life? As a result of my investigation, I

discovered that the geographical location of Corinth was the

city's most valuable asset. The location of Corinth proved

advantageous for commerce, both on land and at sea. Corinth

stood out from all the other cities in Greece due to its

exceptional position on the isthmus that links the southern

and central regions of the country (Sacks 1995:66). Not only

did this location make it easy for Corinth to control the

passage between the Aegean and Ionian Seas, but it also made

it possible for the city to oversee the traffic along the isthmus.

This city was also afforded the benefit of having a unique

roadbed constructed across the Isthmus, which made it

possible for goods to be transshipped between the several

bodies of water. This turned out to be a huge advantage for

the transportation of goods, as mariners opted to skip the

difficult journey around the southernmost point of Greece. In

addition, the construction of the roadbed brought substantial

money to the city of Corinth in the form of sales and port

taxes (Martin 1999:1).

The years between 600 and 500 B.C. were Corinth's most

prosperous times. Not only did it have a superior

transportation network compared to other cities, but it also

developed into a manufacturing hub for a wide variety of

goods (Sacks 1995:66). As the city grew, Corinth earned a

reputation across the rest of the commercial world for its

highly talented craftsmen in the fields of bronze and clay.

One of the most important exports that Corinth was known

for was its exquisitely decorated pottery, in addition to other

things. During this time period, all markets were dominated

by the company's geometric ceramics.