Construction has begun on the Hexamilion ("six-mile”) …

Years: 411 - 411

Construction has begun on the Hexamilion ("six-mile”) wall across the Isthmus of Corinth to guard the only land route into the Peloponnese peninsula from Greece.

The attack of Alaric on Greece in 396 or the sack of Rome in 410 by the Visigoths may have motivated the construction, which includes towers, sea bastions, and at minimum one fortress.

The wall is to constructed with a rubble and mortar core faced with squared stones.

It is not certain how long it took to complete, but the importance given to the task is apparent from the scale of the construction; the Hexamilion is the largest archaeological structure in Greece.

Every structure in the region is cannibalized for stone for the effort, either being incorporated into the wall directly, as is the temple of Poseidon at Isthmia, or being burned into lime, as is the sanctuary of Hera at Perachora as well as much of the ancient statuary of Corinth.

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