ANCIENT CORINTH: THE GYMNASIUM AREA Author(s): JAMES WISEMAN Source: Archaeology, Vol. 22, No. 3 (JUNE 1969), pp. 216-225 Published by: Archaeological Institute of America Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41668000 Accessed: 07-07-2015 18:35 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/ info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Archaeological Institute of America is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Archaeology. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 128.83.205.78 on Tue, 07 Jul 2015 18:35:21 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions The land of Corinth steps up from the sea at Lechaeumin two plateausto the base of the moun- tain citadel, Acrocorinth.The agora of the cityin Roman times,and perhaps duringthe Greek pe- ANCIENT riod as well, lay on the upper plateauin a hollow between the hill of the archaic temple and the slopes of Acrocorinth.It is on this upper shelf, CORINTH and especiallyin and near the ancientagora , that excavationsfor the most part have been concen- THE GYMNASIUM AREA tratedsince 1896 when the AmericanSchool of Classical Studiesbegan workin Corinth. The only major excavationson the lower plateau before By JAMES WISEMAN 1965 involved the theater, at the south and near the ascent to the agora, and an area at the north edge wherethe Asklepieionand the Fountain of Lerna werediscovered. The tvall of the Classical and Hellenistic city ran along the northedge of the plateau in the vi- cinityof the fountainand, accordingto Pausanias, who visited the cityin the second centuryafter Christ,the "Old Gymnasium"and a Temple of Zeus were nearby.Three columnbases visiblenot far to the southwestof Lerna had for manyyears been thoughtto be partof the gymnasium,and a low elevationjust west of Lerna, wherea number of Late Roman burials were discovered in the 1930's, has often been designated on Corinth " plans as the Hill of Zeus." Only a few test trenches,however, had been dug in earlieryears so thatlittle was known with precisionabout the greatexpanse betweenthe theaterand Lerna. The Universityof Texas, underthe auspices of the AmericanSchool of Classical Studies at Ath- ens, has been excavatingin a large area southand southwestof Lerna each summersince 1965. The main purposes of the excavationswere to deter- minethe natureof the buildingto whichthe three visible columnbases belonged,to locate the gym- nasium,and, in general,to clarifythe topography and historyof thisnorth district of the city. The new excavationshave been surprisingboth in the natureand varietyof some of the discov- eries, even while they have confirmedour sup- position concerningthe general location of the gymnasium.This account of some of the more GeneralPlan of Corinth,central area, showing the importantresults of the firstthree seasons is, of environsof the GymnasiumArea. See detailof course,tentative the completionof the GymnasiumArea on page218. CourtesyAmerican pending Schoolof Classical Studies at Athens. excavationand studyof the entirearea. 216 This content downloaded from 128.83.205.78 on Tue, 07 Jul 2015 18:35:21 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Generalview of excavations. In the foreground appear the excavations inthe Gymnasium Area, in thecenter the Agora while Acrocorinth, theancient acropolis, dominates the scene. Underlying almost the entirety of the gym- joins thesmall group of knownpatterned sauceboats. nasiumarea at Corinthis a deposit of the Early Architecturalremains of the EarlyHelladic period Helladic II Period (ca. 2500-2200 B.c.) when the have so far been scanty.Portions of two low stone- sauceboatwas the most characteristicceramic form. and-mudwall socleshave been discovered in addition The gymnasiumand otherlater constructions cut into to a large rectangularcutting in bedrockwhich may the EarlyHelladic layerand the generalthinness of oncehave been coveredby a house.It is a reasonable soil has contributedto the disturbanceof theseearly hypothesisthat this area was partof an EarlyBronze remains,but it has been possibleto dig a few small Age village that stretchedalong the edge of the areas of pure Early Helladic deposit.These areas plateauand lookedout on the Gulf of Corinthonly haveproduced quantities of potsherds,many of which a few kilometersto the north.Water was available havebeen mended into whole or nearlywhole vessels ; in hollows (such as Lerna) along the face of the obsidianand flintblades; terracottaloomweights and cliffbelow them or in wells,such as theEarly Helladic animal figurines;a veined marblecylinder and a wellfound some years ago furtherwest at Cheliotomy- claybutton seal withan intricatelinear design. One los. A naturalravine within the presentexcavation of the sauceboatshas a row of hatchedtriangles area, too, affordedeasy access to the fertilecoastal paintedon therim of its creamybuff interior and so plain. 217 This content downloaded from 128.83.205.78 on Tue, 07 Jul 2015 18:35:21 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions ANCIENT CORINTH continued Detailedplan of the Gym- nasiumArea, Corinth. Findsdating to the Greek Period of Corinthhave mousporos Doric building,almost certainly a temple. been widelyspread over the site.The supplytunnel Duringthe 1966 seasona largepart of the base for forLerna Reservoirs III-V crossesour excavationarea thetemple's central acroterion was recoveredfrom the and one of our taskshas been to excavatethe tunnel fourthmanhole. Cuttings for Corinthian roof tiles are and its manholes.Work has progressednow to the preservedat thebottom of thevertical face requiring fifthmanhole, ca. Ill m. southwestof Lerna,and pan tiles0.731 m. wideand covertiles 0.279 m. wide. the main tunnelstill continuesto ascendin the di- rectionof Acrocorinthat whose base the fountain Bits and pieces of thetemple have appeared in every mayhave its source.The fifthmanhole, which was season. By the end of the 1967 season a total of clearedin 1967, is above a complicateddistribution thirteen guttae had been discoveredin variousparts area thatreflects the competenceof the buildersas of the site.A typicalgutta from a mutuleis 0.06 m. hydraulicengineers. The water coming from the high and has a maximumdiameter of 0.70 m. A southwest(Channel D) could be distributedamong numberof columnfragments (one flutewidth meas- threeseparate channels: Channel A, whichleads to ured 0.253 m.) appearedin 1966 and in the first ReservoirV ; ChannelC, whichproceeds to thenorth- seasonof excavationenough of a corniceblock was east witha floorat about the same level as thatof foundto enableus to restorethe entireblock and so ChannelsA and D; and ChannelB, whosefloor lies computethe interaxialspacing of the columns,4.74 1.41 meterslower than the floorof the manholeand m. The greatarchaic temple at Corinthhad a maxi- leads to the northwest.Both ChannelsB and C have muminteraxial spacing of only4.02 m. theirentrances partially blocked by stuccoedplaques The fragmentsof thecolumn and epistyleon which so thatthe waterin the tunnelnormally had to rise ProfessorW. B. Dinsmoor,of the AmericanSchool above the level of the block beforeeither channel of ClassicalStudies at Athens,based his reconstruction could be used. The plaque of ChannelB, however, of the "largesttemple in the Peloponnesos"(Hes- had a hole nearits bottom that, before it was plugged peria, SupplementVIII, 1948, 104-115) are built in antiquity,allowed water to enterthat channel even into a late Romanfortification wall withinthe area if the supplywas low. A "trap" in the formof a of our presentexcavations and we have had the hump0.40 m. highin ChannelA, ca. 7 m. beyondthe opportunityof enlargingthe old area of excavation manhole,caught the silt and debrisand allowedonly aboutthese fragments in orderto examinethem more the clearestwater to proceedto Lerna.The destina- closely.Professor Dinsmoor estimated an interaxial tionsof ChannelsB and C are stillto be investigated. spacingfor the temple of 5.438/5.773m. ; thefigure, In additionto muchpottery, especially of thefirst/ of course,is based mainlyon the restoredepistyle. secondcentury after Christ when the tunnelseems to All the materialhas not yet been assimilatedand have gone out of use, the excavationof the tunnel studied,but it does seem unlikelythat two such has producedsome importantfragments of an enor- enormoustemples would have been locatedin one 218 This content downloaded from 128.83.205.78 on Tue, 07 Jul 2015 18:35:21 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions An EarlyHelladic II sauceboatfrom the Gymna- siumArea at Corinth.The exterioris coveredwith the dark,slightly lustrous paint common during thisperiod, but the row of hatched triangles painted on its rimputs it witha smallgroup of known patternedsauceboats. A distributioncenter in the water supply system forthe Fountain of Lerna. (Corinth drawing, 662) Partof theLate Romanfortification wall in whichfragments of a colossalDoric buildingwere reused.The enormousblock in the foregroundis an epistylefragment that was roundedin antiquity,per- hapsto enableit to be moreeasily moved to its new position. Restoreddrawing of the soffit of a corniceblock from a large Doricbuilding.