Diolkos

The Diolkos is an ancient paved trackway that crossed the Isthmus of Corinth in southern Greece, built to facilitate the overland transport of ships and cargo between the Gulf of Corinth and the Saronic Gulf. Its course ran across the narrow isthmus for roughly 6 km and enabled traders and naval forces to avoid the long sea voyage around the Peloponnese.

Surviving sections of the stone road, including cut grooves and aligned slabs, are visible in places along the modern isthmus and near the area around the present Corinth Canal. The structure was constructed in the archaic or early classical period and continued in use, with repairs and reuse, through Roman times.

The Diolkos was a practical engineering solution to a significant navigational challenge and is one of the better-known engineered transport works from ancient Greece.

The trackway crosses the Isthmus of Corinth in the Peloponnese, between the Gulf of Corinth and the Saronic Gulf, close to modern Corinth and the Corinth Canal.

• Length and function: Approximately 6 km in length, the Diolkos allowed vessels or cargo to be transported over the Isthmus of Corinth rather than sail around the Peloponnese.
• Period of use: Constructed in the archaic/classical era and used for several centuries by Greek and later Roman traffic to shorten maritime routes.

What to See #

• Paved trackway: The paved trackway itself - a stone-paved surface with wheel grooves and slab alignment that ran across the Isthmus to allow ships or their cargoes to be moved overland.
• Visible sections near the Isthmus: Surviving stretches and cuttings visible at several points along the modern Isthmus, including areas near the present-day Corinth Canal where visitors can see original masonry and ruts.