Side was founded by Greek settlers from Cyme in Aeolis, a region of western Anatolia. This most likely occurred in the 7th century BC. Its patron deity was Athena, whose head adorns the coin. B.C. Coins from the 10th century featured the head of Athena, the patroness of the city, according to legend. Its people, a horde of pirates, quickly forgot their own language and adopted the language of the natives. The natural geography of Side, which has a good harbor for small boats, has made it one of the most important places in Pamphylia and one of the most important trade centers of the region.
According to Arrian, when the settlers from Cyme arrived in Side, they could not understand the dialect. After a short time, the influence of this native language was so great that the newcomers forgot their native language, Greek, and started using the Side language. Many inscriptions written in this language were unearthed during excavations. Inscriptions dating to the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC have not been deciphered but testify that the local language was still in use several centuries after colonization. BC, found in excavations in Side and attributable to the Neo-Hittites. A 7th-century basalt column base provides further evidence of the site’s early history. The name Side may be of Anatolian origin, but it means pomegranate in Greek.