Views from Mt. Oneion

I was twice dragged up to the top of Mt. Oneion, the range that marks the visual southern boundary of the Isthmus. While Dimitri Nakassis and I were walking survey teams around the plain of the Isthmus in 2000 and 2001, Bill Caraher was driving all over the eastern Corinthia doing “extensive survey” in remote and hard to reach locations. One spectacular discovery Bill made was a set of fortification walls in one of the saddles of Mt. Oneion dating to both the late Classical and Venetian periods. He published these (with T. Gregory) as Caraher, W. R. and T. E. Gregory. “Fortifications of Mount Oneion, Corinthia,” Hesperia 75 (2006), 327-356. The abstract to their article:

Recent investigations on the Isthmus of Corinth by the Eastern Korinthia Archaeological Survey (EKAS) have revealed a series of relatively humble fortifications situated along the ridge of Mt.Oneion, which forms the southern boundary of the Isthmus. These Late Classical-Early Hellenistic walls, along with a nearby series of later Venetian fortifications, were designed to block access to the south through several low passes. Controlling the passage of northern armies through the Isthmus to the Peloponnese was clearly a long-term strategic concern for diverse regional powers.

In 2002 and 2003, I journeyed with Bill and Tim up to the easternmost peaks of Mt. Oneion to document those remains. The hike was well worth it for it afforded spectacular views of Corinthian territory including the Isthmus, Acrocorinth, and the Saronic coastline. Views of Kenchreai are especially good. I have added new gallery pages of those trips to the top of Mt. Oneion:

Thanks to Cindi Tomes of Messiah College’s Faculty Services for scanning these. I include a few of the highlights below.