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Greek city of
Side in
Pamphylia
Bronze 16mm (4.27 grams) Struck 3rd-2nd Century B.C.
Reference: Sear 5437; B.M.C. 19.150,59-61
Head of
Athena
right, in crested Corinthian helmet.
Pomegranate.
An important coastal city, south-east of Aspendos, Side was a
place of great antiquity, resettled by colonists from Kyme in the 7th-6th
century B.C. Its inhabitants, who abandoned Greek in favor of curious local
dialect, were reputed to be most dishonest, and the city was a center for piracy
in the 2nd and 1st centuries B.C.
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Athena
or Athene (Latin:
Minerva
),
also referred to as Pallas Athena, is the goddess of war, civilization,
wisdom, strength, strategy, crafts, justice and skill in
Greek mythology
.
Minerva
,
Athena’s Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is also a shrewd
companion of heroes
and the goddess
of heroic
endeavour. She is the
virgin
patron of Athens
.
The Athenians built the
Parthenon
on the Acropolis of her namesake city, Athens, in her honour (Athena Parthenos).
Athena’s cult as the patron of Athens seems to have existed from the earliest
times and was so persistent that archaic myths about her were recast to adapt to
cultural changes. In her role as a protector of the city (polis),
many people throughout the Greek world worshiped Athena as Athena Polias
(“Athena of the city”).
Athens
and Athena bear etymologically connected names.
Side (Greek:
Σίδη Side,
Turkish
: Side)
was an ancient Greek city in
Anatolia
, in the region of
Pamphylia
, in what is now
Antalya province
, on the southern Mediterranean
coast of Turkey
. It is now a resort town and one of the
best-known classical sites in
Turkey
, near
Manavgat
and the village of
Selimiye
, 75 km from
Antalya
) in the
province of Antalya
.
It is located on the eastern part of the
Pamphylian
coast, which lies about 20 km east
of the mouth of the
Eurymedon River
. Today, as in antiquity, the
ancient city is situated on a small north-south
peninsula
about 1 km long and 400 m across.
History
Strabo
and
Arrian
both record that Side was founded by
Greek
settlers from
Cyme
in
Aeolis
, a region of western
Anatolia
. This most likely occurred in the
seventh century B.C. Possessing a good harbor for small-craft boats, Side’s
natural geography made it one of the most important places in
Pamphylia
and one of the most important trade
centers in the region. According to
Arrian
, when settlers from Cyme came to Side,
they could not understand the dialect. After a short while, the influence of
this indigenous tongue was so great that the newcomers forgot their native Greek
and started using the language of Side. Excavations have revealed several
inscriptions written in this language. The inscriptions, dating from the third
and second centuries B.C., remain undeciphered, but testify that the local
language was still in use several centuries after colonization. Another object
found in the excavations at Side, a basalt column base from the seventh century
B.C. and attributable to the
Neo-Hittites
, provides further evidence of the
site’s early history. The name Side is Anatolian in origin and means
pomegranate
.
Next to no information exists concerning Side under
Lydian
and
Persian
sovereignty.
Alexander
the Great
Alexander the Great
occupied Side without a
struggle in 333 BC. Alexander left only a single garrison behind to occupy the
city. This occupation, in turn, introduced the people of Side to
Hellenistic
culture, which flourished from the
fourth to the first century BC. After Alexander’s death, Side fell under the
control of one of Alexander’s generals,
Ptolemy I Soter
, who declared himself king of
Egypt
in 305 BC. The
Ptolemaic dynasty
controlled Side until it was
captured by the
Seleucid Empire
in the second century BC. Yet,
despite these occupations, Side managed to preserve some autonomy, grew
prosperous, and became an important cultural center.
In 190 BC a fleet from the Greek island
city-state
of
Rhodes
, supported by
Rome
and
Pergamum
, defeated the Seleucid King
Antiochus the Great
‘s fleet, which was under
the command of the fugitive
Carthaginian
general
Hannibal
. The defeat of Hannibal and Antiochus
the Great meant that Side freed itself from the overlordship of the
Seleucid Empire
. The
Treaty of Apamea
(188 BC) forced Antiochus to
abandon all European territories and to cede all of Asia Minor north of the
Taurus Mountains to
Pergamum
. However, the dominion of Pergamum
only reached de facto as far as
Perga
, leaving Eastern
Pamphylia
in a state of uncertain freedom. This
led
Attalus II Philadelphus
to construct a new
harbour in the city of
Attalia
(the present Antalya), although Side
already possessed an important harbour of its own. Between 188 and 36 BC Side
minted its own money,
tetradrachms
showing
Nike
and a laurel wreath (the sign of victory).
In the first century BC, Side reached a peak when the Cilician
pirates
established their chief naval base and
a centre for their
slave-trade
.
Romans
Temple of Apollo
The consul
Servilius Vatia
defeated these brigands in 78
BC and later the Roman general
Pompey
in 67 BC, bringing Side under the
control of Rome and beginning its second period of ascendancy, when it
established and maintained a good working relationship with the Roman Empire.
Emperor Augustus
reformed the state administration and
placed Pamphylia and Side in the Roman province of
Galatia
in 25 BC, after the short reign of
Amyntas of Galatia
between 36 and 25 BC. Side
began another prosperous period as a commercial center in
Asia Minor
through its trade in olive oil. Its
population grew to 60,000 inhabitants. This period would last well into the
third century AD. Side also established itself as a slave-trading center in the
Mediterranean
. Its large commercial fleet
engaged in acts of piracy, while wealthy merchants paid for such tributes as
public works, monuments, and competitions as well as the games and gladiator
fights. Most of the extant ruins at Side date from this period of prosperity.
Decline
Side began a steady decline from the fourth century on. Even defensive walls
could not stop successive invasions of highlanders from the Taurus Mountains.
During the fifth and sixth centuries, Side experienced a revival, and became the
seat of the Bishopric of Eastern Pamphylia. Arab fleets, nevertheless, raided
and burned Side during the seventh century, contributing to its decline. The
combination of earthquakes, Christian zealots and Arab raids, left the site
abandoned by the 10th century, its citizens having emigrated to nearby Antalya.
In the twelfth century, Side temporarily established itself once more as a
large city. An inscription found on the site of the former ancient city shows a
considerable
Jewish
population in early
Byzantine
times. However, Side was abandoned
again after being sacked. Its population moved to
Antalya
, and Side became known as Eski Adalia
(“Old Antalya”) and was buried.
Ruins
The great ruins are among the most notable in Asia Minor. They cover a large
promontory where a wall and a moat separate it from the mainland. During
medieval times, the wall and moat were repaired and the promontory houses a
wealth of structures.
There are colossal ruins of a theater complex, the largest of Pamphylia,
built much like a Roman
amphitheater
that relies on arches to support
the sheer verticals. The Roman style was adopted because Side lacked a
convenient hillside that could be hollowed out in the usual Greek fashion more
typical of Asia Minor. The theater is less preserved than the theater at
Aspendos
, but it is almost as large, seating
15,000 – 20,000 people. With time and the shifting of the earth, the scena
wall has collapsed over the stage and the proscenium is in a cataract of loose
blocks. It was converted into an open-air sanctuary with two chapels during
Byzantine
times (5th-6th c.)
The well-preserved city walls provide an entrance to the site through the
Hellenistic main gate (Megale Pyle) of the ancient city, although this
gate from the second century BC is badly damaged. Next comes the colonnaded
street, whose marble columns are no longer extant; all that remains are a few
broken stubs near the old Roman baths. The street leads to the a public bath,
restored as a museum displaying statues and sarcophagi from the Roman period.
Next is the square agora
with the remains of the round
Tyche
and
Fortuna
temple (2nd c. BC), a periptery with
twelve columns, in the middle. In later times it was used as a trading center
where pirates sold slaves. The remains of the theatre, which was used for
gladiator fights and later as a church, and the monumental gate date back to the
2nd century. The early Roman Temple of
Dionysus
is near the theater. The fountain
gracing the entrance is restored. At the left side are the remains of a
Byzantine Basilica. A public bath has also been restored.
The remaining ruins of Side include three temples, an aqueduct, and a
nymphaeum
. Side’s nymphaeum – a grotto with a
natural water supply dedicated to the nymphs – was an artificial grotto or
fountain building of elaborate design.
Turkish archaeologists have been excavating Side since 1947 and
intermittently continue to do so.
Today
In 1895 Greek Muslim refugees from
Crete
moved to the ruined town and called it
Selimiye. Today, Side has become a popular vacation destination and experiences
a new revival.
It was a popular spot for watching the
solar eclipse of March 29, 2006
.
Having been the Bishopric of Eastern Pamphylia, it is still a
titular see
of the
Roman Catholic church
.
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