Sulla denominazione locale di Side (Panfilia)

This essay attempts to identify the local name of the ancient city of Side (Pamphylia). The hypothesis is based on new recently discovered evidence. The Greek word σίδη means 'pomegranate', and this fruit is the emblem of the city, found on coins locally minted and in other archaeological evidence. The Greek variant σἰλβα may be the closest form to the epichoric name of the town. Identifying the astionym entails deciphering a letter that on the coin legend resembles present day Ω. Supposed to be an aberrant variant of the Sidetic letter |d| (N12), it appears to be instead a variant of |r| (N21), which on inscribed stones is similar to Λ.