Why Did This Rich Greek Port Let Pirates Sell People?

Two thousand years ago, on a quiet stretch of the Turkish coast, people were sold at auction. Side was a proud Greek port, not a pirate town. So why did pirates sell their captives on its docks, openly admitting they were free people? And why did Side let them? This is the story of Side in Pamphylia, the Cilician pirates, a Roman market that drove the whole trade, and the moment Rome finally acted, when the pirates turned on Rome itself. Chapters 0:00 People were sold here 1:09 A port on a narrow headland 1:36 Rich before the pirates came 2:15 The pirates of Cilicia 3:15 Auctions on Side's docks 3:50 Even Caesar was kidnapped 4:03 Why did Side allow it? 4:43 The pirates turn on Rome 5:33 Roman Side 5:57 The slow end 6:35 The answer 7:27 The quiet harbour today Sources Strabo, Geography 14.3.2 and 14.5.2 Plutarch, Life of Caesar; Life of Pompey Appian, The Mithridatic Wars Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Side" The raids and sack of late antiquity and the inhabitants' move to Attaleia come from later accounts and traditions; the narration marks them as such. Visuals in this video are AI-generated reconstructions and illustrations, not archaeological photographs. #AncientHistory #Pirates #RomanEmpire #Archaeology #Turkey