The Lechaion Harbor and Settlement Land Project: Preliminary Report, 2016–2018

ABSTRACT: Lechaion Harbor was the primary port of ancient Corinth, serving as a major economic and commercial hub in the Mediterranean for ca. 1,300 years. The Lechaion Harbor and Settlement Land Project began investigations in 2016 as an integrated archaeological program of geophysical survey, mapping, GIS studies, scientific analyses, and excavation. Our initial three seasons of fieldwork have revealed the scale and size of the harbor’s settlement, the active use of the site by the 8th century bce and perhaps the Late Bronze Age, a significant early Roman basilica, and a large circular structure that may be a lighthouse; they have also provided a better understanding of the settlement’s general abandonment in the 6th century ce.