HESPERIA 73 (2004) APOLLO AND THE Pages 40z-426 ARCHAIC TEMPLE AT CORINTH ABSTRACT After a detailed examination of the literary,epigraphic, and archaeological evidence, the authors argue that the prominent Archaic Doric temple at Corinth was dedicatedto Apollo. It is this temple with its bronze statue that Pausanias(2.3.6) saw on his right as he left the areaof the forum, taking the road to Sikyon. In furthersupport of this identification,the authorspresent a previously unpublished Archaic terracottapinax, possibly inscribed with a dedication to Apollo. The plaquewas found duringexcavations at Corinth in 1902 and is now, apparently,lost. The Archaic Doric temple that stands on the hill above the Roman forum at Corinth is the single most imposing monument to that city's earlygreat- ness.' Visible since the middle of the sixth century B.C.when it was built, the temple has served as a beacon and focus for early travelers, the first excavatorsof Corinth, and visitors to the site. Nevertheless, the identifica- tion of this major monument has remained a matter of debate.2 In 1886, the first excavator,Wilhelm Dbrpfeld, stated that the temple's dedication was unknown, although some had attributedit to Athena Chali- nitis.3 In the earliest excavation reports of the American School of Classi- cal Studies at Athens, it appearsas the "Old Temple."4With the discovery of the theater in 1897 and the Fountain of Peirene in 1898, however, the excavated site of Corinth could be related to the description of Pausanias, and by 1898 Rufus B. Richardson had identified the Old Temple as the Temple of Apollo.5 It was published as such by Richard Stillwell6 and, in 1. We aregrateful to Benjamin Scahillfor help with the plans;and of nomenclaturethan that of the old Millis,Elizabeth G. Pemberton,Chris- KarenSoteriou and Martin Sedaghat temple at Corinth."A centuryof topherPfaff, Helen C. Stroud,Rudolf fortheir drawings of Figs.4 and5, scholarshiphas yet to effect a satisfac- Wachter,and Charles K. Williams II respectively.All translationsare by tory cure. for readingan earlierdraft of thispaper R. S. Stroud. 3. D6rpfeld 1886, p. 305. andsubstantially improving it. Com- 2. Fora usefuldiscussion of the his- 4. Richardson1897. mentsfrom the two anonymousHes- toryof thisproblem, see Powell1905, 5. Richardson1898, p. 236. peria readershave also been very help- p. 44, who observedthat, "No ruin in 6. CorinthI, pp. 115-134. ful.We thankJames Herbst and David Greece has sufferedmore on the score American School of Classical Studies at Athens is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve, and extend access to Hesperia ® www.jstor.org 402 NANCY BOOKIDIS AND RONALD S. STROUD 1905, Benjamin Powell asserted that "subsequentexcavations have made this [identification] practically certain and from the evidence given by Dr. Richardson we may rest assured that this was truly the Temple of Apollo."'7This statement, however, has not found universal assent.8A re- cent rediscovery of an inscribed clay plaque from the 1902 excavations takes on greater significance as possible additional evidence for the identi- fication of the temple. Before presenting this important new find, we first review the literary, epigraphic, architectural,and archaeological evidence for the identity of the Archaic temple, which, as far as we know, has never been thoroughly examined in one place.9 LITERARY EVIDENCE We begin with the particularpassage in Pausaniasthat relates to this issue, 2.3.6-2.4.5. Here, and elsewhere in his description of Corinth, the perie- getes10uses the word &dyopodfor the large, open, paved area to the south of Temple Hill, which we will call the "forum"of the Roman city of Corinth. 8X~ ELX0COVOC V 'Eeo'Pcv E? CX&yopoCYZTV-S7t epXojlvotSGL aStLV Ev xcxi xci 3s•@ -i0 6806 vcx6; 0yCycxXhXopxoiv 'AT6?hXX0vo; 6XL- yov -r;ainpcoxtpqve XaCXoyotuvv yop -cowa6r-'vkppytnv rFoad,6xl" - oxCixqv,I ;XyoUom, -cov Mr-s•xa FScOoOaLCpaxp0CXCov 68bop voEtioGoap oiblCc. to7c•Q za6znt) v TcoeroqaTcL-V axtvelv xolen xcbon0-a 3o O C 11vov 'Q0E?ov,70CpOC CO'ZC6vi4t6 oa-CL-COL;Mr1s8Fxq 0;Tcowtv.... [2.3.7]Xpoavuoe oof-rop Oo0u•t le i -croaoCfoi ••~TLo0LX0~oYCGqoCV t xorit.As4toC t•h-irCOf. oniro tav 1 xOaCS; hrsL Xl -coat, yuova - to B xob ier epov o6vl 7_otYLesv .... [2.4.1] -cobcdpvqizo pof3•pcts B~es-vt oi r6meo Xatcvtheso;nri 'A0ov& ie~ 6v.... [2.4.5] -6 ~ spoi6v c c Tcf 'AO-qv&; Xcc;Xtv6CtoL 7cp6g oupqotv oa-cv. ;. Or6-upq. the another the one toward Upon leaving agora by road, Sikyon, 7. Powell 1905, p. 53. it is possible to see on the right of the road a temple and a bronze 8. The observationof Frazerin his statue of Apollo and a little further on a fountain named for Glauke. first edition of 1897, basicallyun- For it was into this fountain that she threw herself, as they say, changed in the second edition of 1913, vol. "There is no believing that its water would cure Medea's poisons. Beyond this 3, p. 37, absolutely evidence to what or ratherdeities fountain has also been constructed what is known as the Odeion. deity the temple was dedicated,"and his Beside it is a memorial to the sons of Medea.... In [2.3.7] response omission of any mention of a temple to the god's oracle, they (the Corinthians) established annual sac- and statue of Apollo from his commen- rifices to them and a monument ofTerror was erected. This in fact tary on Pausanias2.3.6 have to be seen in of the fact that he wrote with- still survives to our day, an image of a woman of dreadful appear- light out any referenceto the excavationsof ance.... [2.4.1] Not far from the monument is the Sanctuary of the American School. Athena Chalinitis.... [2.4.5] The Sanctuary of Athena Chalinitis is 9. Reichert-Siidbeck2000, pp. 183- near their theater. 205, has a valuablediscussion of the evidence as it pertainsto the worship This passage follows Pausanias'sdescription of the monuments in the fo- of Apollo at Corinth. rum (2.2.6-3.1) and those along the road leading to the harborof Lechaion 10. We apply this nontechnical, (2.3.2-5). In 2.3.6, he returns to the west end of the forum and leaves on a descriptiveterm to Pausaniasin light of road leading to Sikyon. Here he finds a temple and bronze statue of Apollo the excellent discussionby Jones (2001). APOLLO AND THE ARCHAIC TEMPLE AT CORINTH 403 Figure 1. Plan of Corinth, on the side of the road.A little beyond this is the Fountain of Glauke, ca. A.D.150: A. Fountainof Glauke; right which has survived as the rock-cut structure at A in B. Odeion;C. Theater;D. TempleG; probably prominent 1. The Odeion which is identified, lies E. TempleK; F. PeribolosofApollo; Figure (Fig. 1:B), firmly beyond still on the road toward Another G. Templeof Apollo. C. K.Williams II, Glauke, Sikyon. conspicuous structure, CorinthExcavations the theater (Fig. 1:C), indicates that all the monuments described in this passage by Pausanias must have been located between it and the gate by which he leaves the northwest corner of the forum. Convincing identifica- tions for the memorial to Medea's children, the statue of Terror, and the Sanctuary of Athena Chalinitis have yet to be established, although many theories have been proposed." We return to this passage below. Further evidence for an image of Apollo in Roman Corinth is pro- vided by Pausanias in 2.2.8, where he mentions a statue of KlarianApollo in the forum near a fountain of Poseidon. A possible representationof this statue exists on a coin of Septimius Severus from Corinth.12 The proto- type of the god seated, semidraped, on a throne with his lyre next to him 11. For the mnema,see Anth. Pal. chora,we preferto follow the view of Jones (2003) has well explainedthem, 7.354. For an introductionto the Papachatzis(1976, p. 75), that Pausa- we are not preparedto follow Osanna problemsof the monument of Medea's nias'sverb e'reCo (2.3.7) ties the (2001, p. 198), who rejectsthe seven children and the statue of Terror,with statue to the mnemat.le that is located next topographicdesignations in this citation of sourcesand earlierbibliogra- to the Odeion and not far from the passage and arguesthat the organizing phy, see Johnston 1997, who, however, Sanctuaryof Athena Chalinitis. On principle here is a kind of thematic errs in stating (pp. 46, 48) that Pausa- the latter,see Novaro-Lefevre2000, associationof legends ratherthan "una nias placed these monuments "in the pp. 60-62. On the mnema,see also guida, topograficamentecoerente." agora."Regarding her proposal(pp. 49, Bookidis, forthcoming. 12. Imhoof-Blumer and Gardner 60) that the statue of Terrorstood in While alert to recent interest in 1964, p. 156, no. 25, pl. FF:14. the Sanctuaryof Hera Akraia in Pera- Pausanias's"principles of choice,"as 404 NANCY BOOKIDIS AND RONALD S. STROUD apparentlygoes back to the first half of the second century B.C.13Flashar's association of a corresponding figure on Augustan monuments celebrat- ing the victory at Actium might give some support for an Augustan date for the statue at Corinth. In his suggestion that this statue was housed in Temple G (Fig. 1:D), Charles K. Williams II definitely set it in the Ro- man period.14Scranton attempted to place the statue of Apollo Klarios in Temple K (Fig. 1:E), which he then identified as the Temple of Apollo from Pausanias2.3.6 (see below, p. 414).15A connection between Corinth and the Oracle of Apollo at Klarosis attested in an inscription from Klaros that records a delegation of 10 Corinthian hymnodoisent to Klaros in the reign of Hadrian.16It is important to distinguish the small Roman temple in Pausanias's agora that housed the statue of Apollo Klarios from the Temple of Apollo in 2.3.6 that stood outside the agora on the right side of the road leading toward Sikyon.