Sculpture in Roman Asia, İzmir, Turkey, 1 - 04 October 2013, pp.67-78
This paper focuses on the gladiator-themed artefacts in the Side Museum. The discovery of two of these three 3rd century A.D. findings near the Side theatre can be accepted as strong evidence of gladiator performances in the city. The unearthed gladiator reliefs in Side, dated to after 275 A.D., reflect severe changes in the sociological structure of the settlement. Gladiatorial games appeared in Anatolia as a part of the Romanization process. The purpose of Romanization was to show the respect of the Anatolian peoples to the Roman Empire. The policy of Romanization was introduced in Side especially during the 3rd century A.D. The aim of this study is to examine how works of art may reflect the ideology of the empire, in the light of the gladiator-themed artefacts from Side, an important harbour city of Pamphylia.