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Julius Caesar taken captive by Cilician pirates (Henri De Montaut, 1865). Piracy in the ancient Mediterranean dates back at least as far as the Bronze Age.The roots of the word "piracy" come from the ancient Greek πειράομαι, or peiráomai, meaning "attempt" (i.e., of something illegal for personal gain).
The mystique of pirates is partly related to attributes of real pirates. For example, they wore earrings in hopes that the gold or silver would be used to pay for a decent burial when they died. They also wore earrings for superstitious reasons, believing the precious metals had magical healing powers. [37]
Over 20,000 pirates were taken prisoner, with an additional 10,000 killed during the conflict. [5] Rather than executing the captured pirates, Pompey chose to detain them, recognizing that allowing them to go free could lead to the reformation of disorganized and belligerent bands, posing a significant threat for the future. [5] [7] [55]
While exploring a 500-year-old shipwreck off the coast of Sweden, divers discovered “surprising” cargo and weapons that may have helped repel pirates.
Two styles of scimitars: an Egyptian shamshir (left) and an Ottoman kilij (right). A scimitar (/ ˈ s ɪ m ɪ t ər / or / ˈ s ɪ m ɪ t ɑːr /) [1] is a single-edged sword with a convex curved blade [2] [3] [4] of about 76.2 to 91.44cm (30 to 36 inches) associated with Middle Eastern, South Asian, or North African cultures.
The pirates were no match for this onslaught so they fled, Antonius proclaimed victory, and the Senate awarded him a triumph. But the pirates merely regrouped on Crete, and soon returned to their old bases in Cilicia and piracy resumed. For over two decades Rome, occupied with other threats, ignored the problem again.
In a pirate stronghold on the lush eastern shore of Madagascar, the child of a native-born sorceress and a roving buccaneer unites warring kingdoms, fends off a tyrant from the mountains and ...
Roberts' death was seen by many historians as the end of the Golden Age of Piracy. Also crucial to the end of this era of piracy was the loss of the pirates' last Caribbean safe haven at Nassau. In the early 19th century, piracy along the East and Gulf Coasts of North America as well as in the Caribbean increased again.