Corinth Canal
We traveled on a day trip from Athens and made a short stop at the Corinth Canal.
The picture is not impressive overall; however, its historical and commercial significance is important. The canal has stood the test of time from landslides to deliberate explosions to close the canal.
Giddy wanted to go for a short swim via bungee jump, but with a depth of only 25m, we were not sure if he could survive the impact of the water.
Brief History
The idea of the Canal started in 602 B.C. At that time, the second tyrant of the Cypselid dynasty (Periander) ruled over ancient Corinth. Periander’s rule brought about prosperity.
Periander decided to connect the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf. His purpose was to try to open a canal in the Isthmus of Corinth that would allow the avoidance of a dangerous circumnavigation of the Peloponnese and shorten the route.
As ancient writers testify, Periander’s plans, one of the seven sages of antiquity, remained unaccomplished. The engineers of the time prevented him because they observed a level difference on both sides, which would cause the flow of the Corinthian into the Saronic with unknown consequences and maybe cause floods to the coasts of Attica.
According to testimonies, Periander gave up his plans when he heard that the Oracle of Delphi had given her prophecies. “Don’t fortify the Isthmus nor dig it. Because Jupiter made an island wherever he thought was right, “said the Oracle’s prophecy. That phrase and the reactions of people of the time feared that it would cause the wrath of the gods.
However, the real reason was money. They feared that by opening the Isthmus, they would lose payments, including trader’s gifts, and the city would lose financial resources since the traders would just pass by without staying in Corinth any longer.
Periander resolved the problem by building the famous Diolkos. This was a special road paved with slabs of limestone, dressed with woods, from which ships greased with fat were coming from the Lechaeon port in the Saronic to the Kenchreai port in Corinth. Ships were loaded on special vehicles and crawled through the dry land through Diolkos, five meters wide. At the same time, the goods were transported by pack animals. This idea was very successful because the ships of the era were of small dimensions, and the strength of the slaves and animals was sufficient for that purpose. However, the problem was that the toll cost was very high, and usually, warships passed by Diolkos.
Throughout history, Periander’s vision found various followers. After nearly three centuries, Demetrius Poliorcete, in 307 B.C., decided to reinstate the plan for the opening of the Cana but quickly abandoned the project due to fears of flooding.
The hegemony of Rome gives a “fresh air” to the project after about two and a half centuries. It started with Julius Caesar in 44 A.C., who failed, just like Caligula did in 37 A.C., and the other emperors Hadrian and Gaius. The most crucial step, however, occurred when Nero got the rein of the Roman Emperor about 66 A.C., at the age of 29, when he was at the Isthmian games. Nero decided to proceed with the project and announced it to the Greeks. A few months later, in 67 A.C., he opened the projects on November 28 at an impressive ceremony with music trumpets.
Nero worked intensely with enthusiasm for the project, on which thousands of workers, slaves, and convicts worked very hard. However, the turbulence in Rome forced Nero to return and face General Galva’s rebellion. Projects stopped abruptly because of the rebellion and definitively after Nero’s assassination, despite the projects’ amazing progress. Herode Atticus and the Byzantines followed him after, but again without any result.
Various portions of the 3,300-meter-long Roman project still exist today. After centuries and the final opening of the Canal, 26 wells with a trial period of 10 meters depth each and several ditches of the Nero era were found.
In 1687, the Venetians tried again to finish the project, but without any results, as there were insurmountable difficulties. The Venetians even tried to open up the Isthmus, starting the excavations from the Corinthian Gulf this time. However, the major difficulties that they encountered led almost instantly to the project’s interruption.
In 1830, the first governor of Greece, Ioannis Kapodistrias, decided to carry on with the ambitious project. After the Suez Canal opened in 1869, French construction companies became involved based on Nero’s plans. However, it wasn’t until 1882 that the final commencement of the project began. In 1890, the effort continued from the Greek contracting company with the participation of benefactor Andreas Suggros. Eventually, the Canal was opened in 1893 after 11 years of work. On July 23,1893, in the presence of the Kings and the Government, officiated by the eparch of Corinth, the Corinth Canal was opened. The opening of the Isthmus, one of the most outstanding achievements of the construction period, shortened the sea route from Piraeus to Italy by half.
The Canal crosses the Isthmus of Corinth in a straight line at a length of 6,346 m. Its width at sea level is 24.6 m, and at its bottom, 21.3 m, while its depth is between 7.50 and 8 m. However, the peculiar geological composition of its slopes resulted in the fall of large volumes of soil from time to time. Also, the Canal was closed for a long time in 1944 due to the explosion of the slopes caused by the Germans leaving. The explosion caused 60,000 cubic meters of soil to fall, and the excavation works lasted 5 years (1944-1949). It should be noted that before the explosion, the Germans threw a significant number of railway vehicles into the Canal to discourage the work of the explosion, which, as mentioned above, lasted 5 years. Every year, the waters of the Isthmus cross about 15,000 ships or at least 50 nationalities.
The Canal is a fascinating engineering effort from a historical perspective; however, it is underwhelming from today’s perspective. It is a good spot for a fifteen-minute break on any driving trip to view this engineering marvel. Alex, our driver for the day to Cog Railroad, provided information and pointed out the better store for some breakfast snacks.