Dumb Turks-— this area as all of asia minor was Greek for thousands of years.
Pompeiopolis was first abandoned due to the invasions and ravages of Arab muzzies.
Cilician pirates ravaged the Eastern Med, disrupting Roman trade and sending shipping rates skyrocketing. The Roman elite were not amused. Disrupting grain supplies would make the plebes grumpy and disrupting luxury goods, such as spices, would make the aristocracy unhappy.
Pompey was dispatched with a great fleet and army. His fleet drove the Cilicians from the sea. He then landed and drove inland. Such Cilicians as he found were given the "choice" of giving up piracy and taking up agriculture.
An instructive tale given our own experience with a pirate coast.
