The beginnings of the settlement
Side was founded in the 7th century BCE by Greek settlers from Kyme in Eolia, a land located in the north-western part of Anatolia. The patron goddess of the town was Athena, whose head was depicted on the coins minted in Side. However, the Greek origins of Side inhabitants were quickly forgotten, and the descendants of Greek colonists took over the language and customs of the local people. That language, examples of which have been discovered on the inscriptions from the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE, has not yet been understood by researchers. However, it is known, that the name of the city meant pomegranate in the local dialect.
Thanks to its favourable location at the natural harbour Side quickly became one of the most significant settlements in Pamphylia and a trading station of the region. In the 6th century BCE, Side came under the rule of Lydia and later Persia, but little is known about this period of history.
In 333 BCE, Alexander the Great took control of Side without a fight, and before embarking on his great journey to the east, he left a small garrison there. This way Side residents came in contact with Hellenistic culture. After Alexander's death, Side fell under the control of one of diadochi - Ptolemy I Soter, who declared himself the king of Egypt. The dynasty descended from Ptolemy ruled over Side until the 2nd century BCE when the city was occupied by the Seleucids. Throughout this period Side maintained a significant degree of independence and was an important cultural centre of Pamphylia.
In 190 BC a fleet owned by the city-state of Rhodes, supported by Rome and Pergamon, defeated the Seleucid king Antiochus. Under the terms of the peace treaty concluded in Apamea in 188 BCE, Pamphilia became a part of the Kingdom of Pergamon. However, the actual power of Pergamon reached only as far as Perge, leaving the areas located to the east, including Side, in a state of practical independence. In this period the Pergamon King, Attalos II Philadelphus, ordered the construction of a new harbour, located in Attalia (the present Antalya).
In the period from 188 to 67 BCE, Side was a free city and minted its own coins, tetradrachms with the goddess Nike and a laurel wreath. In the first century BCE, the city became the main naval base of pirates from Cilicia and, consequently, the centre of the slave trade. In 78 BCE, the pirates from Side were defeated by the Roman consul Publius Servilius Vatia Isauricus, and in 67 BCE they suffered a final defeat, this time at the hands of general Pompey. It meant a de facto takeover of Side by Rome.
In 25 BCE, Emperor Augustus reformed the administration, and according to new provisions Pamphilia, and hence Side, was incorporated into the Roman province of Galatia. The wealth of the city during this period came not only from the slave trade but also from the sale of olive oil. The population rose to 60,000 and a period of prosperity lasted until the 3rd century CE. The merchant fleet of Side often played a double game - of peaceful merchants and, in favourable circumstances, bloodthirsty pirates. Wealthy traders allocated a significant proportion of their income for the development of the city and its beautification. They sponsored new public buildings, gladiatorial combats and games. Most of the ancient buildings preserved until today in Side date back to this period of history.
