ABSTRACT
The city of Corinth stood at a crossroad of intersecting territories, bodies of water, and societies. The location, topography, and resources of the Corinthia each played a major role in shaping the identity and history of the city and its inhabitants, especially as the polis developed in the Early Iron Age and Archaic period. The archaeological remains of Corinth provide an ideal illustration of Horden and Purcell’s vision of the Mediterranean as a cohesive, yet disjointed, entity as well as Braudel’s notion of geohistory. 1 Territory, a term that should be interpreted very broadly, is often considered to be an essential element in the construction of a community’s identity. 2 Corinthian culture became a conglomeration of the influences of the micro- and macroregions that surrounded it. Internally, the topography of the territory and access to resources distinct to the region, like workable limestone and clay, dictated many of the choices of the early community and its oligarchic elite. Easy access to many areas of the Mediterranean and the ability to interact with other communities were vital for the reception of influences from the cultures with which the polis intersected. The city synthesized these influences, creating a “Corinthian” identity manifest in its material culture. The city’s location fed this distinct identity—a product of local environment, regional networks, and political savvy—back into the networks that connected the polis to local and distant parts of the Mediterranean.
