Corinth: guidebook

Corinth © David Gill

The American School of Classical Studies at Athens has published a new guidebook on Corinth. I have reviewed this for Bryn Mawr Classical Review [here].

The authors as well as the ASCSA design team have produced a highly functional guidebook to help lay and professional visitors to engage with the extensive excavated and visible remains. … This will be an invaluable aid to interpret what can be seen on the ground, and will serve as a model for guides to other archaeological sites.

The review gave me an opportunity to reflect on how to write a guidebook for such an extensive site. Roman urban sites in Britain such as Silchester and Caerwent have guides published by (respectively) English Heritage and Cadw.

2017

Lincoln: Newport Arch and lorries

1971

The Newport Arch forms the northern gateway of the Roman colonia of Lincoln. It is one of the most important pieces of extant Roman architecture in Britain. However it does seem to be vulnerable to lorries. A feature on the excavations at Lincoln appeared in a special number of Current Archaeology (May 1971; Christina Colyer, ‘Lincoln, pp. 67=71), and the cover showed the damage in 1964. The gate has been struck again today.

Local authorities need to restrict access to these important parts of our heritage.

The benefaction of Erastus at Corinth

Erastus piazza, Corinth © David Gill

There is a small piazza at Corinth adjacent to the theatre. Along the edge are the remains of an inscription, originally with inset bronze lettering. This reveals that this public facility had been provided by Erastus-the full name is unknown due to the loss of part of the inscription-from his own money in return for being elected as aedile in the colony. Erastus had made an election promise, and the inscription showed that he had fulfilled his obligation.