Archaeological site:
Description:
In the period of Side's greatest prosperity, in the second century AD, two wide colonnaded streets led from the main gate to the city center. The road leading in the southern direction is not currently used and is overgrown by a long stretch of lush vegetation. The road leading to the west, to the city agora, still serves as a thoroughfare of the city. Along this street there are traces of ancient shops and residential buildings that give us an idea of how people lived in Side during antiquity.
The colonnade street leading to the west originally had a width of 20 meters and was lined with marble slabs. Along the street there were porticoes with mosaic floors and behind the colonnades permanent shops operated. The street leading to the south was also lined with marble and adorned with porticoes and shops.
The two best-preserved houses in Side are called, because of the characteristic architectural elements, the house with a peristyle and the house with a console. Both buildings were erected on a similar plan, with an inner courtyard (the peristyle), which was surrounded by areas with different functions. The houses were built in the 1st or 2nd century BC and they were inhabited until the 4thh century AD when they were abandoned. In the 5th or 6th AD these buildings were completely renovated and re-inhabited.
The ruins of the house with a console stand on the northern side of the agora, behind the shops of the western colonnaded street. It could be accessed from the streets on its northern and eastern sides. The name of this building is derived from the archaeological finds of the consoles that supported its upper floor. Nowadays this floor does not exist - it is speculated that it may have collapsed after a fire. Some of the rooms still have mosaic floors, there is also a fountain and sewer system visible inside the house.
The house with a peristyle stands to the east of the house with a console. This building has two open courtyards. Some of the floor mosaics are still visible on its floors. The traces of the sewer system indicate that this house had a private toilet - a rare feature in antiquity. This house also had a second floor which collapsed after a fire.
Visitor tips:
The access to the ancient houses and colonnaded streets in Side is unlimited and free of charge.
Getting there:
The western colonnaded street is parallel to the modern Harbor Street (Liman Caddesi) that leads to the center of the ancient district of Side. The ancient houses are situated on the eastern side of this street: the house with a peristyle 36.768833, 31.392000 and the house with a console 36.769000, 31.391833. The southern colonnaded street starts from this junction with Harbor Street: 36.770639, 31.394017.
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