A team of archaeologists led by Remzi Yağci of Dokuz Eylül University, has unearthed a 1700 –year-old marble bust depicting a stern-faced bearded man at the site of the ancient city of Soli Pompeiopolis.  This eighth century B.C. city was named after Pompey the Great, because he rebuilt it. The sculpture is thought to depict a Roman aristocrat or military commander who lived during the end of the second century or beginning of the third century A.D., the archaeologists claim.

Ancient Soli can be seen through Ptolemy’s maps; its other name was Koili, or Sri Koili; it was a place in ancient Megiddo, same as Magadha. Koili was the royal seat of administration of the Koliyans.

Pompey the Great received his name from Pompa-sarovara, or simply Pompa. This identifies the ‘pond’ called Pompa where a man can see his own ‘image’ clearly. It was very famous in ancient times where annually ‘image procession’ was held. It is also called Pompa-sarakani. This name is very important because Pomp was in Sarakani itself.

In ancient literature, sometimes ‘p’ changes for ‘b’; and this makes Pompa same as ‘Bimba’ means ‘image’. This name traces the ancient history in a big way. Later we find this Pompa-sarovara becomes ‘Bindu-sarovara. Ptolemy has identified the geographical situation of Pompa sarovara very clearly.