Gwen Minor

I’ve always known about the great rivalry between Corinth and Athens, but I never fully understood why. After visiting the site yesterday, I understand. Corinth was a rich trading center with easy access to the sea. Its merchants travelled far and wide, and its craftsmen and artisans made some of the most beautiful pottery in the ancient world. In the photo, Joulia Tzonou-Herbst, Assistant Director of the excavations at Corinth, who gave us our tour, shows us a curse tablet made of a wafer-thin piece of lead dated to 72 A.D. Curses were written down and placed inside sanctuaries to elicit the aid of a god or goddess to do horrible things to enemies. This curse tablet has the worst curse I’ve ever heard! 

And, of course, Corinth is most famous for Pegasus, the winged horse! I am standing in front of the very spot where Pegasus was bridled by Bellerophon (Perseus, in a variation of the story )with help from Athena. In his anxiousness, Pegasus struck his hoof onto the ground and spouted a spring they call the Peirene Fountain. Standing

next to it you can hear the water rushing through the channels and cisterns and subterranean stone ducts, as if a rushing river were coursing through. In the painting above, you can see the fountain and a statue of Pegasus.On the slip of paper I hold is an image of Pegasus, whom I’ve loved since I was a child. I became a fan of the Steve Miller Band when his Book of Dreams album featured Pegasus. 

The dog is posing in front of the lovely Doric temple of Apollo here in Corinth. There are dogs and cats living at all of these archaeological sites, and they are very popular with the visitors! 

HELLO ROOM 5! This section is addressed to you!

Food I Ate Today: Grilled sardines—amazing!!! Not at all like the sardines in a can!

I Wonder: I wonder what it is like to ride a horse that flies.

Lesson and Activity: Draw Pegasus! Notice how the feathers of his wings are arranged.