Diolkos for 1500 years

The story of the film takes place in the area of ancient Corinth around the mid-4th century B.C. The wealthy and renowned city of Corinth had two ports: one in the north (named Lechaion in the Gulf of Corinth) and the other in the south (named Kenchreai in the Gulf of Saronikos). The ships which unloaded their cargo at Lechaion and continued their journey eastwards, instead of going around the whole of the Peloponnese, travelled on land across the Isthmus of Corinth (Diolkos) to the Gulf of Saronikos, upon which they sailed to their destination. Westbound ships from the East did the reverse and continued via the Gulf of Corinth.
The film describes exactly the course of an ancient Greek commercial ship which unloads tin ore and other merchandise at Lechaion, crosses the Isthmus of Corinth over dry land, sails again on the Gulf of Saronikos, docks at the port of Kenchreai to load Corinthian amphorae, and continues its journey to Cyprus.
For 1500 years the Diolkos carried thousands of merchant and war ships, and is seen as a major national monument. It is hoped that this film will help expedite the urgent work of maintaining and stabilizing the few parts which remain today; for such monuments of ancient Greek technology are crucial testimonies to Greek civilisation.