There is little doubt that Corinth was a major city in the eastern Mediterranean during the Late Classical and Hellenistic periods, both as one of the fetters of Greece under Antigonid control and later as a member of the Achaean League. Although Hellenistic Corinth's importance has been widely accepted in principle, until very recently this period was largely ignored in scholarship. D. has therefore done the field a great service by delving into the limited ancient sources and published archaeological data for the later fourth and third centuries b.c. to create the first synthetic history of the city in this period. J.B. Salmon's Wealthy Corinth (1985) ended its account in 338 b.c. and D.'s book dovetails neatly into that seminal work.

The book is organised into eight chapters and includes three maps and copious endnotes. After an overview of fourth-century Corinth in the first chapter, D. covers the period from Philip II to the end of the fourth century b.c. in two of the strongest chapters in the book. In Chapter 2, amid a discussion of the earliest Macedonian contact with the city, he cites the close relationship between both Philip II and Alexander III and the Corinthian Demaratus as an early example of the kind of cooperation and goodwill that D. suggests ensured a strong pro-Macedonian faction within the city.Footnote ¹ Chapter 3 is an extension of D.'s article on Corinth during the Wars of the Diadochi (‘Corinth, Greek Freedom and the Diadochi, 323–301 b.c.’ in Alexander's Empire. From Formulation to Decay [2007], pp. 151–78), in which he argues persuasively that the city was a battleground in the late-fourth century b.c. partly because of the combatants’ desire to reaffirm the League of Corinth and thus symbolically appropriate the power of Philip II and Alexander III. The fourth chapter underscores the pivotal role of Corinth during the first half of the third century b.c. for Antigonus Gonatas as his strategic stronghold in southern Greece. Here D. continues the theme of eunoia begun in Chapter 2 and proposes that Demetrius Poliorcetes fostered goodwill among the Corinthians through various economic stimuli, namely a ‘possible exemption’ from taxation, ship construction for the Macedonian navy and various building projects throughout the city and region (pp. 77–8). The remainder of Chapter 4 deals with the notoriously difficult second quarter of the third century b.c., a period for which our ancient literary sources are very sparse. D. maintains that the actions of the Corinthians on either side of the Chremonidian War (267–261 b.c.) can be explained by their loyalty to the Antigonid kings. This section ends with a discussion of Alexandros’ revolt in the mid-third century b.c., an event that caused the pro-Antigonid faction to flee the city (p. 91) and ended with the city's first membership in the Achaean League. Chapter 5 summarises the scholarship on the monuments and cults of the early Hellenistic period including a new construction date for the South Stoa of c. 300 b.c.Footnote ² and the likelihood of a royal residence at Corinth. D. builds his discussion in Chapter 5 around the attractive theory that many of the third-century b.c. public buildings in the city were sponsored by the Antigonids as part of their campaign of eunoia, although he acknowledges that there is no literary or archaeological evidence for the identity of the financiers (p. 111). D. presents the controversial argument in Chapter 6 that Corinth suffered, rather than thrived, under the Achaean League from 243–224 b.c. and ends with a discussion of the Cleomenean War and the return of Corinth to Macedonian hands. Chapter 7 is a straightforward account, based largely on Polybius, of the final period of Antigonid control from 224–196 b.c. The book's conclusion reviews D.'s arguments and proposes some future directions for scholarship.

There are two central themes or premises that recur throughout the book and that D. connects to the events of the later fourth and third centuries b.c. The first is that Corinth flourished under Macedonian control and suffered as a member of the Achaean League. The second theme is eunoia or ‘goodwill’, which D. sees as an important tool of the Macedonian kings for maintaining the loyalty of Corinth. These themes are interconnected: D. interprets many of Corinth's actions during the turbulent third century b.c. as the result of pro-Macedonian sentiments held by some Corinthians because of Macedonian benefactions. Although it is a relatively safe assumption that the Macedonians would have attempted to establish good relations with the Corinthians, there is no direct evidence to support the existence of eunoia on either side, so D.'s arguments are largely circumstantial (p. 4). The position that ‘the Corinthians’ most disagreeable years’ were their first membership in the Achaean League (from 243–224 b.c.) is also tenuous (p. 143). This unorthodox view is based partly on D.'s interpretation of events during the third quarter of the third century b.c., such as the loss of Corinthian lands in a dispute with Epidaurus and the ravaging of parts of Corinthian territory by the Aetolian League. He suggests that these episodes made the Corinthians feel that they had lost the prestige and political clout of the earlier third century b.c. and that this attitude contributed to their dissatisfaction with the Achaean League. But, aside from fourth-century figures Demaratus and Dinarchus, the only evidence presented of Corinth's greater political status comes from inscriptions that record Corinthians acting in various capacities outside of Corinth in the Late Classical and Early Hellenistic periods. Many of these inscriptions attest to contacts with sanctuaries, not direct political relations with other poleis, so these activities suggest a degree of autonomy but not necessarily political power or greater prestige. Moreover, the majority of the epigraphical evidence dates to after Corinth's first membership in the Achaean League, yet D. problematically uses them to generalise about conditions under all periods under Macedonian rule (p. 189). While acknowledging these limitations, D. uses these dual themes to explore possible explanations for historical events for which our evidence is lacking. This in itself is not objectionable, but it does at times distract from the otherwise convincing historical narrative.

This volume is part of a growing wave of scholarship on Corinth during this period.Footnote ³ D. has produced an outstanding and detailed history of the city and its chora (for D. pays close attention to Isthmia and other sites in the Corinthia) that will enable Corinth to be integrated better into broader discourses about socio-economic and political conditions in Greece from the late-fourth to early-second century b.c. It is also a useful guide for navigating the challenging body of ancient literary and epigraphical sources on Hellenistic Corinth. D. has written an important book that will serve as a solid foundation for much future research.