The time clock turns back to the late 7th century B.C., and specifically in 602 B.C. At that time, the tyrant of Corinth Periander decided to connect the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf. His purpose was to try and open a canal in the isthmus of Corinth which would allow the avoidance of a dangerous circumnavigation of the Peloponnese and to shorten the route.
The plans of Periander, one of the seven sages of antiquity, as ancient writers testify, remained unaccomplished. The technicians of the time prevented him because they observed a level difference on both sides which would cause the flow of the Corinthian into the Saronic with unknown consequences and maybe the cause of floods to the coasts of Attica.
But the reality was different. According to testimonies Periander gave up his plans when he heard the oracle and her prophecies. "Don’t fortify the isthmus nor dig it. Because Jupiter made an island wherever he thought was right "said the Oracles prophecy. That phrase and the reactions of some churchy people of the time, but also the fear that it would cause the wrath of the gods, averted him to proceed to a major project of that time. The beginning certainly had already occurred. The hard rocks justified the reputation for the wrath of the God Poseidon, but the mainly problem was the enormous technical difficulties.
But historians note that the prophecies were caused by the priests of the time and by the Corinthian people. The reason for the first ones was that they feared that by opening the Isthmus they would loose rich oblations - trader’s gifts and for the second ones the reason was that the city would lose financial resources, and the traders would just pass by without staying in Corinth any longer.
After that event Periander tried to resolve the problem by building the famous Diolkos. This was a special road paved with slabs of limestone, dressed with woods, from which ships greased with fat were coming through from the Lechaeon port in the Saronic, to the Kenchreai port in Corinth. Ships were loaded on special vehicles and were crawled through the dry land through Diolkos who was five metres wide, while the goods were transported by pack animals. This idea was very successful because the ships of the era were of small dimension and the strength of the slaves and of the animals was sufficient for that purpose. But the problem was that the cost for the tolls was very high and usually warships passed by Diolkos.
Part of this paved road, much of which is revealed during the excavations can be seen today in the west of the modern canal. The deep ruts on which the vehicle carrying ships was moving is reserved.