Skiron's Road

Skiron on a vase from the British Museum.

Skriron's Road: road from Megara to Corinth.

According to the inhabitants of Megara, Skiron was a friendly hero who built a road to Corinth through the steep rocks along the sea. The Athenians, who were often on bad terms with the Megarians, put the story upside down: in the legend of their hero Theseus, Skiron was an evil man who asked his guests to wash his feet, and when they were stooped down, kicked them from the cliffs into the sea, where a giant man-eating turtle finished the killing. According to the same Athenian story, Theseus eventually killed Skiron.

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The road of Skiron (Greece). Photo Jona Lendering.

The road of Skiron today.

Both the Athenians and Megarians called the road from Megara to Corinth "Skiron's Road". It was blocked when the Persians attacked Greece in 480 BCE, but invaders overcame the obstacle and reached the wall that had been built across the Isthmus, where they impressed the defenders by shooting burning arrows (Pausanias, Guide to Greece, 1.44.4).

Although the name "Skiron's Road" is forgotten, the road still exists and is still very dangerous. Note the road sign on the left - the road will go down steeply. There is also the little monument, which signifies that a driver has been killed on this spot.

A satellite photo of the road can be found here.