Piracy in the Mediterranean existed since about 3000 b.c. It was first mentioned in historical documents by the Egyptians at 1380 b.c. At that time Piracy in this area began to bloom as the nations around the Mediterranean established trade routes to ship wares and slaves. Especially the maritime people called the Lukka haunted the coasts of Minor Asia. The Lukka people were named after the Kingdom of Lycia, which stretched from Antalya (Turkey) all the was down to Syria. The Lycian coast has also been called the Pirate Coast. With its numerous coves and little islands it offered perfect hideouts for the Lukka pirates, who lied there to wait for rich merchant ships sailing up and down the coast of Asia Minor.

Around 480 b.c. Herodotus described the Lukka as follows: "They wore greaves and corselets; they carried bows of cornel wood, cane arrows without feathers, and javelins. They had goatskin slung round their shoulders, and hats stuck round with feathers. They also carried daggers and rip-hooks."

The Aegean Sea was another part of the Mediterranean that offered perfect shelter for pirates. Not only were the islands of the Aegean a perfect hideout for pirates, they were also a source of income. Pirates did not only plunder passing ships, they also haunted Aegean islands. Paros suffered greatly from pirate attacks. Other island inhabitants moved to the inland in fear of pirate attacks, and they cultivated their fields secretly in a safe distance from the sea. Monasteries were often built high up into the rocks and far away from ports, to offer a safe protection and not attract the pirates. On the island of Chrissi pirates forced the population to move to Crete and used it as their hideout. Another place of pirate activity was the island of Lipari.

Crete was one of the most famous pirate lairs in the Aegean where the booty, slaves and contraband were traded and sold. The island of Gavdos was also used as a stronghold for pirates during the Hellenistic period. Gavdos, lying 20 miles south of Crete, was the southernmost island of Greece. It lies almost exactly half-way on the trade route Sicily (Italy) - Alexandria (Egypt).

Another area of heavy pirate activity was Cilicia (today Cyprus), located on the southern shore of Asia Minor (Turkey) near the trade route that connected Syria to Italy and Greece. The vicinity of Cilicia to Egyptian and Palestinian sea lanes, and the numerous rocky inlets, jutting headlands, and hidden anchorages made it a perfect area of operation for pirates. Cilicia became the most notorious pirate haven of ancient times and was one of the largest pirate enclaves of history.

The Roman elite had to buy many slaves to work on the large plantations (latifundia) in Italy, and the best place to get them was from the Cilician pirates. Rome needed the pirates. As a consequence the pirate power on Crete and Cilicia grew rapidly, as criminals from all countries gathered on these islands and started a new life as pirate.

Typically, the pirates attacked the slow trading vessels and captured the crew. The large and unwieldy corn ships, which carried hundreds of tons of Egyptian wheat to Italy, were among their favorite targets. Usually, the captives were brought to the island Delos in the Aegean sea, the center of the international slave trade. It is recorded that on at least one occasion, no less than 10,000 people were sold on a single day.

As the Cilician pirates later even began to attack Roman vessels the situation slowly escalated. In 75 b.c. Caesar travelled east to perfect his rethoric abilities at the rethorician Apollonios Molon in Rhodos. At the island of Pharmakussa in the Aegean his ship was captured by Cilician pirates. According to the pirate habit to keep rich captives as a hostage the pirates demanded a ransom of twenty Talents. Caesar laughed and volunteered to pay fifty Talents. Caesar had sent his followers to various cities of Asia Minor in order to raise the money and was left with one friend and two servants among the Cilicians. Almost forty days later the ransom arrived and Caesar had been set free. He immediately gathered ships from the coasts of Asia Minor and set sail from the harbor of Miletus against the pirates. The pirates, still lying at anchor off the island, were captured and destroyed.

However, the pirate infestation remained, and the pirates - mostly of Cilician origin - spread all over the Mediterranean. The pirate attacks disrupted the Roman economy and threatened the food supply, as Rome received their cereals mostly through merchant ships. The Clilicians had even plundered Ostia, the harbor of Rome. The price of wheat had risen significantly, an issue that was excessively debated in the Roman Senate. In 67 b.c. it was decided that the Roman general Gnaeus Pompeius should be given extraordinary powers to solve the pirate problem. Pompeius was to receive enormous quantities of money, 20 legions, 500 ships, including authority over the whole Mediterranean. It was a drastic but necessary measure, and although the Senate tried to prevent that one man became so influential, the People's Assembly accepted the Lex Gabinia. After dividing the Mediterranean into 13 sections Pompeius ordered a fleet into each area to detect, fight and destroy pirates, before finally turning his attention to Cilicia. He defeated the pirates near their capital Coracesium and took the mountain fortress. After three months, the war was over.

In Rome, the tribune Manilius proposed that the war against Mithradates, the ally of the pirates, should now be entrusted to Pompeius. The successful general took over the army of general Lucullus and put an end to the Third Mithradatic war. Later, he invaded Judaea; after all, among the Cilician pirates had been Jews. Pompeius captured Jerusalem in 63 b.c., and on his way back to Italy, he visited Crete, where he settled the situation. This was the end of piracy in the Mediterranean for almost 400 years.