The Corinthian Isthmus is a narrow peninsula which connects the Greek Mainland and the Peloponnese, and shapes the southern coastline of the Saronic Gulf. The Isthmian plateau was and still is regarded as an integral part of Corinthian territory. This volume of seventeen essays, plus an introductory chapter, explores finds and sites related to the area of one of the four Panhellenic sanctuaries, the Sanctuary of Poseidon.

The book begins with a relatively long, yet essential and interesting, introduction written by the editors. Both of them succeeded O. Broneer in directing Isthmian excavations and have shaped the recent history of excavations and restorations at the site. The introductory chapter focuses on the geography, topography and history of the area, as a gathering place for Greeks, Romans and Byzantines. It also presents the long and fascinating history of travellers and archaeologists who researched in the area. The volume arose out of a conference held on 15–17 June 2007 at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, yet it should be regarded as a result of 55 years of archaeological work in the area. Lastly, the editors introduce the authors and themes, selected to cover a wide range of topics.

The first essay, by E. Balomenou and V. Tasinos, is an extensive report of a rescue excavation, carried out by the Greek Archaeological Service, at a Mycenaean site in the vicinity of Poseidon's shrine. The contribution is important as publications of rescue excavations, especially from the area, are rare, yet the absence of a comparative analysis with contemporary Corinthian sites is evident.

T.F. Tartaron discusses the results of two extensive landscape and GIS projects (EKAS, SHARP) carried out in the eastern Corinthia. Their success is further affirmed by the location of Kalamianos, a new prehistoric harbour town, as well as scattered Bronze Age sites. Tartaron persuasively argues that in the Middle and Late Bronze Age a ‘silent’ conflict for the sovereignty of the Saronic Gulf between Aegina and Mycenae took place.

In a fascinating combination of architectural research and experimental archaeology, F.P. Hemans explores ancient techniques and methods used in the construction of the early Temple of Poseidon.

V.R. Anderson-Stojanović unveils the life and economy of a densely populated village in the vicinity of the temenos, the ‘Rachi Settlement’, that most likely supplied the Isthmian Sanctuary with olive oil. Although the author looks for similarities in a variety of settlements on the Greek mainland, an analysis in comparison with isolated mountainous settlements, such as Zagora in Andros, would likely have been more illuminating.

M.K. Risser explores ritual practices of common people participating in feasts during festivals, yet her major contribution is the further lowering of the date of the destruction of the Archaic Temple of Poseidon in 460–450 b.c.

L. Houghtalin publishes a substantial number of coins from the Temple of Poseidon, eventually redating the coinage of Ambrakia and Argos.

A. Thompsen offers a clear and comprehensive presentation of the terracotta figurines of the sanctuary, yet the comparative analysis with groups from other sanctuaries does not satisfy the needs of the publication.

K.W. Arafat provides an insightful view on fragmentary Late Protocorinthian vases that may be assigned to the Chigi Painter, although at the end of the paper Arafat still remains cautious.

One of the most fascinating essays is written by A.H. Jackson on Macedonian weapons found at the West Foundation, a burial monument in the vicinity of the temenos. As a result of the study the Macedonian presence in the Corinthia becomes more evident, while Jackson carefully addresses the controversial debate on the chronology of the royal tombs at Vergina. The chapter ends with an analysis that illuminates unknown aspects of the historical context of the second half of the fourth century b.c.

In a brilliant essay, M.C. Sturgeon, author of a magnificent volume on sculpture in the Isthmian sanctuary (Sculpture I, 1952–1957 [1987]), presents neglected marble fragments, reconstructs seven Roman statues, and finally explores the imperial presence in the Sanctuary of Poseidon in the second half of the second century a.d., as well as the nocturnal cult of the child-god Palaimon.

J. Wiseman offers an insightful and exhaustive paper on the ‘Agonistic Festivals, Victors, and Officials in the Time of Nero’. On the basis of the discovery of an inscribed stele in the Fountain of the Lamps excavation, Wiseman explores topics such as the chronology of the athletic festivals of Isthmia, the operation of the Corinthian Gymnasium as a venue for official games, as well as the relation of the periodic cycles of the games to the imperial power.

F.K. Yegül analyses the architecture of the Roman Baths in the Sanctuary of Poseidon, persuasively arguing that the edifice was used as a gathering place for thousands of people. Reconsidering Roman baths situated at the outskirts of major Greek sanctuaries, Yegül answers the question ‘how such baths were culturally and contextually meaningful in their setting’.

S.J.R. Ellis and E.E. Pulcher contribute an introductory essay on the construction and operation of a complex of buildings to the east of the Temple of Apollo, named ‘the East Field’. As the initial research failed to answer critical questions, the modern implementation of GIS methods proved to be more effective. Chronological data are disentangled, yet further assumptions on their operation are still rather preliminary.

D.K. Pettegrew's essay on the Corinthian suburbia provides a well-documented interpretation of the results of an extensive survey in the Isthmian plateau. His argument that scattered finds from the area are evident of a peri-urban zone of the city of Corinth, adjusts well to D.G. Romano's theory of centuriation of the plain (D.G. Romano, ‘City Planning, Centuriation and Land Division in Roman Corinth: Colonia Laus Iulia Corinthiensis & Colonia Iulia Flavia Augusta Corinthiensis’, in C.K. Williams II and N. Bookidis [edd.], Corinth, the Centenary, 1896–1996 [2003], pp. 279–301).

Focusing on building techniques and innovations implemented in the construction process of the Hexamilion Wall and Fortress, J.M. Frey convincingly argues that the heterogeneity of their segments related to the usage of spolia from pagan buildings, and should be regarded as a development of a new architectural style broadly implemented in the Byzantine period. A map of the area, interacting with the text, would have been useful for understanding the variety of topographical references.

The next essay, by W.R. Caraher, goes beyond the publication of two well-known inscriptions from Isthmia and Corinth. Caraher unveils their connection to the official policy of the emperor Justinian as well as liturgical practices and directions given by Constantinople amidst ecclesiastical turmoil.

In the final chapter, B. Lindros Wohl provides a persuasive argument on the provenance of late-antique circular lamps found in the Sanctuary of Poseidon, suggesting that the majority of finds originated from the Peloponnese and most likely from the Corinthia.

This is a well-edited and coherent volume, which offers a comprehensive picture of the history and archaeology of the Isthmian plateau over time. With a minor exception, the authors and editors make excellent use of photographs, charts, maps and illustrations. While the essays employ a variety of methodologies and approaches and cover a wide range of topics, coherence is successfully achieved through pervasive emphasis on the continuity of habitation and acknowledgement of the importance of the role of the Isthmus as ‘a meeting-place for Asia and Greece’ (Livy 33.32, trans. E.T. Sage, 1935).