The city of Corinth was siutated on the Isthmus of Corinth, which joined the Peloponnesus to the mainland of Greece.  In 146 BCE, because of its rebellion against Rome, the Roman general L. Mummius completely destroyed the city, leveling it. The site remained uninhabited for a century, when the city was refounded as a Roman colony in 46 BCE by Julius Caesar; the name of the city was Laus Iulia Corinthus ("Corinth, the praise of Julius"). Corinth became a major center of commerce in the Roman province of Achaia. Strabo explains the commercial advantage of the city, "Corinth is called 'wealthy' because of its commerce, since it is situated on the Isthmus and is master of two harbors, of which the one leads straight to Asia, and the other to Italy; and it makes easy the exchange of merchandise from both countries that are so far distant from each other" (Geography, 8.6.20). In 29 BCE, Corinth was chosen as the administrative capital of the province, the seat of the Roman proconsul.  The population of the city was Roman, Greek and other peoples, including Jews.