Corinth Monument: Circular Monument
Collection:   Corinth
Type:   Monument
Name:   Circular Monument
Description:   At the east end of the Central Shops, immediately to the south of the apheteria (starting lines) of the Classical and Hellenistic stadia (running tracks), the original Circular Monument may date to the Classical period. The preserved structure is Roman. In its earliest Roman phase it consisted of a raised circular platform, 2 meters high and 9 meters in diameter, supporting a limestone column drum 2.15 meters in diameter. The platform was subsequently trimmed back on its north and west sides for the application of marble revetment. When the Central Shops were constructed, the west side was also cut back to accommodate the easternmost shop. Oscar Broneer, who believed the original column was much taller, suggested this monument was the one depicted on Corinthian coins of the Antonine and Severan periods.
The Circular monument was excavated in 1892 and 1896 but is actually one of the earliest monuments at Corinth to have been recorded. A second, upper, member of the column was drawn by Sebastian Ittar, architect to Lord Elgin, on a visit to Corinth in 1802. On the basis of this evidence, William Dinsmoor restored a much shorter column and dissociated the monument from that shown on the coins.
Site:   Corinth
City:   Ancient Corinth
Country:   Greece
References:   Drawing: 029 001
Drawing: 029 002
Images (14)
Object: I 658