Corinth is a city on the Isthmus of Corinth, the original isthmus, the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnesus to the mainland of Greece. To the west of the isthmus lies the Gulf of Corinth.
Corinth is about 48 miles (78 km) west of Athens. The isthmus, which was in ancient times traversed by hauling ships over the rocky ridge on sledges, is now cut by a canal. It is also the capital of the prefecture of Corinthia. The city is surrounded by Lechaio, Kalamaki, Loutraki, Geraneia mountains, and the southern mountains.
Ancient Corinth, the original City of Corinth, was founded in the 10th Century BCE and was the largest city in ancient Greece. More importantly, Corinth was ancient Greece’s richest port. The Corinth Paul knew had been re-founded by Julius Caesar as a Roman colony in 44 BCE. Using Rome’s tried and true format for subduing conquered populations, the “new” Corinth was populated with conscripted Italian, Greek, Syrian, Egyptian and Judean freed slaves.