Sicyon and the Destruction of Corinth: Adaptation and Ruin in the Late Hellenistic Period
According to the ancient sources, Mummius’ victory over the Achaean league in 146 BC had devastating consequences for Corinth and its inhabitants. We are told that the city was destroyed, its people killed or sold into slavery, and that it ceased to exist as a civic and political unit until Julius Caesar re-founded it as a Roman colony in 44 BC. During the following interim period (146-44BC), parts of the Corinthian plain as well as the Isthimian games seem to have passed into the control of Sicyon, Corinth's immediate neighbour in the Northeastern Peloponnese.
Although Sicyon’s interim period (146-44 BC) relationship to Corinth and Corinthia is frequently touched on in both Corinthian and Sicyonian scholarship, this dynamic has rarely been explored in depth. By incorporating finds from a large variety of studies, I argue, among other things, that we need to do away with the preconception that both the Isthmian Games and Corinthian lands were given to Sicyon as gifts by Rome. Instead, I emphasize the practicalities of continuity and propose that the lands would have seen little active administration by Rome until at least 111 BC. I also argue that Corinth’s destruction had long term effects on Sicyon’s economic relationship with the Aegean, and that some interim evidence from Corinth implies that the site developed as a regional crossroads after its destruction in 146 BC.
Magnus Knutsen holds a Master of Letters (MLitt) degree in Classics from the University of St Andrews, as well as Bachelor's degrees in both Archaeology and History from the University of Oslo.
The event is open to the public, and all interested parties are cordially invited to attend. A Zoom link will be provided via the Classics Seminar mailing list. If you would like to present or subscribe to the list, please get in touch with Han Lamers. Following the event, we will gather at Café Eckers for drinks and further informal discussions. Everyone is welcome to join (please note that expenses are not covered by the seminar).