Ancient Piracy: Analysis Of Historical Significance Of Three Groups Of Influential Seaborne Raiders
Since the first time mankind decided to lash pieces of wood together, ride in it, and move rapidly across water with said wooden construct, it is likely they also thought, “How could we best use this to steal stuff from other people?” The moment this thought first passed through our ancestors’ minds, the age-old and widely renowned profession of piracy was born. Piracy, however, was not just a get-rich-quick scheme devised by the more underhanded dregs of polite society, it was an entire way of life in and of itself. Without the institution of piracy, the world would surely not exist as it does today, entire wars would’ve never been fought, cities and nations never would have been founded, and many ancient civilizations would have never fallen to make way for newcomers to the geopolitical scene. While piracy may seem like an easy and bloody way to ply out a meager living, it was actually one of the most important decisions humans ever made, contributing to the movement of religions, ideas, genetics, goods, cultures, among many other things that make human beings who we are today. I will analyze the historical significance of three groups of influential seaborne raiders, The Sea Peoples, the Roman Pirates, and the Vikings, and the effects these various groups of people had on the world at large, and how they steered the rudder of history in a completely new direction. In the late BCE, a force of enigmatic raiders known by modern scholars only as “The Sea Peoples” brought a number of the ancient near-east empires grovelling to their knees. While we know little about the actual people themselves, who were likely Greek or Italian in origin, we do know a good deal about the effect they had on the ancient Mediterranean Empires.
The most information we have about this mysterious confederation of seaborne raiders comes to us from the Egyptians, who wrote at length about the exploits of said Sea Peoples during the many wars of aggression faced by Egypt in this period. We do know that they often served as mercenaries, and were found serving not only in Ramesses’ Egyptian Army, but also under the leaders of the Hittites and Libyans, both of whom sought to conquer Egypt for themselves. Though they were described as “unbeatable” combatants, there are many instances within Egyptian writings of the People being defeated. While there raids into these eastern empires could be viewed as simply raiding, it is strongly believed by many that they were not simply invading for loot and plunder, but as a method of migration. From where they were migrating and why, it is unknown, but many ancient depictions of the people show carts and wagons of the Sea People, filled not only with goods and supplies but with women and children. The full effects of their potential migration will likely be never fully understood by historians, and the true nature of these early maritime warriors is likely lost to the wiles of time forever. For centuries, they were the most fearsome raiders in the Mediterranean region, and were a major threat to the continued security and prosperity of mighty Egypt. In their raiding spree, they reaved land from up through Greece, Anatolia, Syria and the Levant, and possibly even farther abroad. Their aquatic reign of terror however came to an end at the hands of Pharaoh Ramesses III, an event so sudden, unexpected and costly that it nearly bankrupted the kingdom, and sparked what is likely the first labor strike in recorded history. These pirates disappeared as suddenly as they appeared soon after this battle, but their way of life was far from extinguished. Piracy continued to be a plague upon shipping in the Mediterranean even when larger, more centralized powers such as the Roman Republic began to rise in local power. We all know the famous story of Julius Caesar being captured by Greek pirates and held for ransom.
He was very insulted by the “low” ransom the pirates demanded, and told them he was worth at least twice that. Though he grew to be a favorite companion of the pirates, the insult was so cutting to his ego that after his ransom was paid he returned with a retinue of mercenaries and murdered them all. While this story is seemingly comical and very demonstrative of Caesar’s character, it is quite illuminating on how common the practice of piracy still was even in this relatively orderly and lawful era of history. That someone of relative importance could be kidnapped by pirates, and the triviality the matter is treated with, it shows the very widespread nature and commonality of maritime raiding. But just how influential were pirates in the Roman Era? Extremely, historians believe. Pirates were a nearly ceaseless thorn in the proverbial Roman side, with generals organizing entire campaigns to try and clear them out from their many island strongholds across the Mediterranean. Piracy was completely outlawed in Ancient Rome, barring them from the lucrative Roman Slave trade, which of course forced them to turn to practices such as looting, racketeering, and the famous aforementioned ransoming. This came to a head when the Roman port of Ostia was sacked and two prominent senators were held for ransom, leading to the Roman Senate declaring Pirates “the enemies of all mankind. ” Pompey the Great was even given special emergency powers in order to deal with the ever-looming threat of piracy, and was allowed full access to the Roman state treasury. Even after the many different campaigns of extermination waged against them by the Romans, the many “Pirate Races” such as the Cretans and Illyrians still continued to operate in the region, and their operations eventually outlasted the Roman Empire, but they were eventually confronted by a new competitor from the far north.
Vikings were by far the most famed and prolific pirates in all of human history. From their famed conquest of places like Byzantium to Lindisfarne, to their fabled voyage to Iceland and Greenland, they ranged across the old world and even parts of the new world. Their raids, while primarily motivated by the desire for more slaves and plunder, often spilled over into the realms of trade and permanent conquest and settlement. Their raids and conquests were so prolific and bloody, that early Roman Catholic Christian communities interpreted them as the heralds of the Apocalypse, or punishment from God himself for some nebulous sins. They targeted churches in particular, since in that time they were places of fabulous, and to the Vikings, almost otherworldly material wealth. The greatest legacy of the Vikings, however, comes not just from their acts of plunder, but from their great migrations into the rest of the European mainland and the British Isles. From areas as far flung as Ireland to inner Russia, to Southern Italy and Normandy, it is likely that almost every western European alive today carries some amount of Viking blood in their veins. From pop culture to western literature, Vikings are still romanticized to this day as honorable warriors and noble savages. While in reality this maybe slightly less than true, the impact they had upon Europe and the rest of the Earth is staggering, all caused in the pursuit of good land, loot, and unwilling laborers. In conclusion, while piracy may had been motivated primarily by the need for material and the lust for plunder and a better lot in life, but the effects are often much more wide reaching than even the pirates themselves have any idea they will be.
The aftermath of an event as seemingly mundane as some people hopping on a boat to ply the waters for loot and plunder may seem minimal, but when examined from the lense of wider global history, this action has consequences that could have hardly been calculated by anyone not looking back on an event from thousands of years later. This is one of the reasons that human history and society are so infinitely complex and interesting, that things as simple as raids can have far reaching historical consequences thousands of years down the line.
Works Cited
- Mark, Joshua J. 'Sea Peoples. ' Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 02 Sep 2009. Web. 05 May 2019
- Mark, Joshua J. 'Vikings. ' Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 29 Jan 2018. Web. 05 May 2019
- Irving, Jenni. 'Pirates in the Ancient Mediterranean. ' Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 23 Aug 2012. Web. 05 May 2019.
