The reliefs depict the Twelve Labors of Heracles, as well as representations of Athena, Zeus, Artemis, Hygieia and Tyche.
Archaeological excavations have been completed along the approximately 390-meter-long B Street in the ancient city of Side, revealing important remains of stoas, rooms and monumental entrances dating from the Roman period to Late Antiquity.
The excavations, carried out under the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s Heritage for the Future Project, have shed light on the architectural transformation of one of Side’s major thoroughfares. The street extends between the northwestern corner of the ancient city’s gymnasium and the East Gate.
A stoa dating to the second century A.D. was identified along the northern side of the street, together with numerous rooms behind it. Door jambs and threshold stones that have survived provide clues about the street’s architectural layout during the Roman period.
Three monumental entrances were identified along the stoa: The West Gate, Heracles Gate and North Bath Gate.
Heracles Gate stands out for its architectural reliefs depicting the Twelve Labors of Heracles, as well as representations of Athena, Zeus, Artemis, Hygieia and Tyche in its coffers.
The reliefs date to the early third century A.D. and were later reused as spolia when Heracles Gate was built during Late Antiquity.
The appearance of B Street changed significantly in the fifth century A.D. when the large area north of the street became part of the Episcopal Palace complex.
Some entrances leading to the stoa were closed and new monumental entrances were built along the northern stoa. These changes transformed B Street from a major route leading into Side through the East Gate into a grand monumental urban thoroughfare.
The excavated stoas, monumental gates and architectural arrangements from different periods allow the transformation of Side from the Roman period through Late Antiquity to be traced along a single route.
Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said the excavations had brought another of Side’s monumental historic gates to light and highlighted the importance of Heracles Gate and its ancient reliefs.
