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Corinth is strategically located on the narrow isthmus connecting the Peloponnesus and the Greek mainland.
New Corinth was founded in 44 b.c. as a Roman colony to serve as a residence for freedmen from Rome. During the first century A.D., Corinth was the third largest city in the Roman Empire and was probably no more depraved than any other city of its time. Archaeologists have identified twenty-six sacred places devoted to various “gods” and “lords” in the remains of first-century Corinth.
Corinth was a virtual salad bowl of diverse influences from East and West: Roman laws, culture, and religion; Greek religion, philosophy, and art; mystery cults from Egypt and Asia; some Jews and their religion. Corinth’s wealthy citizens lived alongside the poor majority, consisting of artisans, freedmen, and slaves. Sincere itinerant philosophers and unscrupulous charlatans proclaimed their messages side by side in the streets of the city.