One of the most economically important communities in ancient Greece was the city of Corinth. But what made Corinth, or Korinthos as known in those times, such a vital part of the country's commerce? After searching for an answer, I learned that Corinth's most advantageous asset was its geography. Corinth was favorably situated for trade by land and by sea. Located on the narrow Isthmus that connects southern and central Greece, Corinth possessed a unique location compared to any other city (Sacks 1995:66). This site not only allowed Corinth to manage the traffic along the Isthmus, but also made it simple to control passage between the Aegean and Ionian Seas.

Another advantage given to this city was the development of a special roadbed built across the Isthmus enabling transshipment of cargo between seas. This emerged as a tremendous benefit to the transport of merchandise as seafarers preferred to avoid the arduous voyage around th

Another manufacturing area where Corinthians excelled was in shipbuilding. As lumber became available, Shipbuilding proved critical to expanding the transport of goods by sea. Corinth became famous for its accomplished ship builders and naval architects (Discovery.com 2001:1). To defend the trade industry, they developed some of the most advanced and fastest warships of their time. Without ships, trade would have been very limited and the economy of cities like Corinth would have taken much longer to prosper.

Corinth's glory days came in the 600s and early 500s B.C. Not only did its shipping network stand above other cities, but it also became a manufacturing center for many products (Sacks 1995:66). As the city prospered, Corinth became famous for its skilled workers in bronze and clay amid the rest of the mercantile world. Among other products, beautifully painted pottery became one of the main exports of Corinth. Its Geometric pottery dominated all markets during this period. It became a luxury item even outside the Greek culture (Grant 1986:187). Excavations in other cultural sites, to include Egypt, have revealed archaeological evidence of the extend of Corinth's market.

Pottery clearly possessed significant trade value. It provided the means to obtain products not available or found within Corinth's boundaries. An important part of Corinth's economy was

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