Piracy, defined as the act of attacking and robbing a ship or port by sea, had a long history in the ancient Mediterranean stretching from the time of the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten (r. 1353-1336 BCE) and throughout the Middle Ages (c. 476-1500 CE). Piracy in the Mediterranean remains a persistent threat in the present day only with different kinds of ships and more advanced technology.
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Definition
Timeline
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c. 1353 BCE - c. 476 CEPiracy flourishes in the Mediterranean.
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c. 1276 BCE - 1178 BCEThe piratical Sea Peoples ravage the Mediterranean.
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c. 475 BCEAthenian general Cimon drives the Dolopian pirates out of the Aegean island of Scyros.
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231 BCE - 227 BCEThe Illyrian Pirates threaten legitimate trade during the reign of Queen Teuta.
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71 BCERome wages war on the Cretan pirates.
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69 BCE - 67 BCERome wages a second war against the Cretan pirates.
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67 BCEPompey the Great defeats the Cilician Pirates at the Battle of Coracesium.
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67 BCEThe Gabinian Law is passed, giving Pompey great power to deal with pirates.
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c. 67 CEThe Roman port of Ostia provides a base for operations against the Cilician pirates.
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c. 476 CE - 1500 CEPiracy continues to flourish in the Mediterranean during the Middle Ages.
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Sep 1695 CEThe English pirate Henry Every captures a treasure ship of the Mughal emperor, one of the richest prizes ever taken by a pirate in any era.
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Sep 1717 CE - Nov 1718 CEThe English pirate Blackbeard (aka Edward Teach) is active in the Caribbean and western Atlantic.
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1765 CE - 1807 CELife of the Chinese pirate Zheng Yi (aka Cheng I).
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c. 1780 CE - c. 1821 CELife of the pirate leader Jean Lafitte who operated in the Gulf of Mexico.
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1805 CEZheng Yi (aka Cheng I) becomes the head of a large confederation of Chinese pirates.
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1807 CE - 1810 CEZheng Yi Sao leads a large confederation of Chinese pirates and terrorizes the South China Sea.
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Jul 1808 CEThe pirate fleet of Zheng Yi Sao defeats a Chinese imperial naval fleet near Canton.
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Jul 1809 CEThe pirate fleet of Zheng Yi Sao defeats a second Chinese imperial naval fleet near Canton.