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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.
Most pirates in this era were of Welsh, English, Dutch, Irish, and French origin. Many pirates came from poorer urban areas in search of a way to make money and of reprieve. London in particular was known for high unemployment, crowding, and poverty which drove people to piracy. Piracy also offered power and quick riches. [citation needed]
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).
Samples taken from the roughly 50-foot-long oak hull, which lies under about 75 feet of water, were subjected to dendrochronological analysis, a technique for dating trees based on their rings.
Pirates were unauthorized by the state and did not avoid targeting the ships and settlements of their own nations of origin. [ 6 ] : 176–177 The act of piracy was "massively" criminal. [ 7 ] : 204 Laws against piracy were often very strict, with charges and punishments escalating in attempts to curb piratical actions.
A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates, or simply A General History of the Pyrates, is a 1724 book published in Britain containing biographies of contemporary pirates, [1] which was influential in shaping popular conceptions of pirates.
The story of José Gaspar's life and career has been told in many forms since the early 20th century. The accounts generally agree that Gaspar was born in Spain about 1756, served in some capacity with the Spanish Navy until turning to piracy around 1783, and died during a battle with the United States Navy off the coast of southwest Florida in 1821.
Henry Morgan's Panama expedition, also known as The Sack of Panama was a military expedition in which English privateers and French pirates commanded by Buccaneer Henry Morgan launched an attack with an army of 1,400 men with the purpose of capturing the rich Spanish city of Panama off the Pacific coast between 16 December 1670 and 5 March 1671 during the later stage of the Anglo-Spanish War.