Our civilization inherited the ruins of an older and more highly developed one. Knowledgeable people give examples of buildings with high-tech stone processing in Giza, Baalbek, in Aksum (Aksum steles in Ethiopia), etc. - not necessary. We are still unable to repeat a lot. But was it only the inhabitants of those times who built architectural masterpieces (sometimes just of an incomprehensible purpose)? With this level of construction, logistics should also be established - movement by land, rivers and sea, and maybe air. I showed some traces (I'm talking about channels) in my posts. And continuing this topic, I propose to look at the Corinth Canal in Greece in a different way (another thanks to wakeuphuman (from LJ) for interesting thoughts on this object).
Official information about the construction and parameters of the canal:
The Corinth Canal is a canal in Greece that connects the Saronic Gulf of the Aegean and the Corinthian Gulf of the Ionian Seas. Dug through the Isthmus of Corinth, which connects the Peloponnese with the central part of Greece. The name was given in honor of the city of Corinth, located at the western end of the canal. The channel is 6 kilometers long and 8 meters deep. The walls of the channel are of natural origin, mainly of limestone, the height of the walls reaches 76 meters. The channel is 25 meters wide at sea level and 21 meters wide at the seabed. One railway and three automobile bridges are thrown across the canal. In addition, submersible bridges function on both sides of the canal.
Coordinates: 37 ° 56 '47.76 "N 22 ° 58' 1.83" E. Link to the map
Historians claim that earlier in history there were attempts to dig a channel in this place:
Remains of earthworks from different eras in 1881.
The first mention dates back to the 7th century BC. e., when the Corinthian tyrant Periander, tried to dig a waterway, but stopped working. The reason for the termination of work was Periander's fears that due to the discrepancy between the levels of the Aegean and Ionian seas, flooding of lands is possible (was one of the seas a lake?). Instead of a canal, the tyrant created a simpler and less expensive stone portage, called Diolk. The remains of Diolka currently exist next to the canal.
When Corinth came under the rule of the Romans, Julius Caesar and later Caligula also developed such plans. In AD 67, Emperor Nero made a third attempt to dig the canal, employing 6,000 slaves and convicts. This attempt failed.
Promotional video:
After the opening of the Suez Canal, the Greek government in November 1869 passed a law “to cross the Isthmus of Corinth by the canal. On May 5, 1882, after lengthy negotiations, work began on the construction of the canal. The construction of the canal was started by a French company, which stopped working due to financial difficulties, and did not complete the work. A Greek company led by Greek banker and philanthropist Andreas Singru took over the project and completed the project in record time. The operation of the canal began in 1893. The canal allowed ships that skirted the Peloponnese to shorten their journey by more than 400 kilometers.
The construction of the Corinth Canal took more than ten years (1881-1893) by two and a half thousand workers. On August 7, 1893, a celebration was held to mark the opening of the Corinth Canal.
Currently, the channel has lost some of its economic importance. Due to the narrowness of the waterway, reverse movement is organized in it. The channel cannot be passed by large ocean-going ships, the width of which is close to 20 meters. Large-tonnage vessels pass the canal in tow, as there is a danger of erosion of the walls. 11,000 ships pass through the canal annually.
Let's take a look and analyze the available photos of the construction (or possible clearing) of the canal:
This photograph is indicative of the fact that the captured process of work is very similar to the clearing. The curb goes along the water and breaks off in tatters. And apparently - the technology was nowhere simpler: they removed the hardened relatively loose rock with an excavator, bulldozed it down to the bottom grab vessel, otherwise they lifted the soil onto barges with further removal of the soil into the sea. But, perhaps, this is the restoration of the channel after its destruction during the Second World War (photos below).
Note the black surface of the wall. As if it is a salty tan on a stone. But where does it come from on a freshly cut surface? The color of the ground is very different from the color of the walls. So - clearing? The impression is that the workers loosen the soil and take it out with trolleys. Do not cut the rock. But they should - the material of the walls says that these are just cuts in the limestone. Such mechanization would have left traces of teeth and buckets on the walls. But they are even.
The deepening of the channel is visible to the horizon. If they built it, dug it out, did they do it in layers? Removing horizontal layers? Or is it still an excavation of an ancient object that was not fully entered. Or have there already been attempts to dig it up, which TI gives us as attempts to build?
The wall is black on the bottom right. As if it had stood in the water for a very long time. Strange photograph of the works. The soil has not yet been completely removed, and the walls have been reinforced with masonry. On the left, the masonry generally stands on the ground, which has yet to be removed. Or does it continue under the ground?
Dredging machines. But there are no photos with the equipment for stone wire cutting. The very result of cutting is shown in the photographs.
There are few old photographs. But this cannot be, because the photographer will not go to the object because of 2-3 photos. As a rule, they do several dozen.
Undermining the channel in the second world war.
Place of detonation.
Plot canals in the area of explosion and clearance.
On the map, I counted six such "undermines" or undermines of walls and many small ones (most likely - landslides). But one peculiarity: all washings are two-sided. There are no landslides on one side only. Those. everything from explosions.
I will not say when this photo was taken: during construction or during clearing after the explosion during the Second World War?
The strengthening of the banks by masonry is now not along the entire length of the canal - it is destroyed and interrupted.
Smooth surface with traces of erosion. By the way, if only excavators and bulldozers worked, then such a flat surface would not work. There would be traces of buckets, teeth.
On the right wall, traces of a mining cutter are clearly visible.
The ledge is better visible here.
And why the strengthening of the banks of the masonry was not done along the entire length of the canal. It can be seen that it is crumbling from water erosion.
A few more photos from the panoramio service:
At the entrance from the Gulf of Corinth, the walls of the canal are never even.
Why couldn't they be made even like in the middle part?
This bas-relief on one of the canal walls says a lot. Builders would not have done this in the 19th century. Yes, and its safety speaks of the antiquity of the bas-relief.
Smooth walls with grooves. Apparently, workers rose to the surface during construction.
Erosion marks. For 130 years, something has been too strong:
There is masonry on a part of the wall. I think it is not from the time of construction, because to the left a large landslide is visible.
Another area with masonry.
Was the canal dug before its official construction date or was it dug in the 19th century? - difficult to answer. Dug up after the explosions during the Second World War. But from some photographs, one can suspect that the soil was taken out, and not cut or hollowed out during the construction itself. The archives most likely contain this information.
Author: sibved