Continuation of Greaco – Roman Piracy

1. Continuation of Greaco – Roman Piracy

2. Athenian Ambassadors visiting a Persian king • Attacked and captured and Egyptian ship • Brought to court in Athens

3. Defense • Egyptians were at war with Persians and the Athenians were allies of Persia. • Therefore attack legal • Court agreed but, • ruled that the ambassadors were official representatives of Athens • Therefore the loot belonged to Athens not the individual ambassadors • City state benefitting from Piracy (?)

4. Human Booty • As mentioned earlier • One of favorite targets for pirates were people • Masses sold as slaves • Important individuals could be ransomed • Everyone was vulnerable • Example: Plato

5. Plato accepted job as instructor for the son of tyrant of Syracuse • Son was indifferent to education • Plato hated tyrant • Plato announced intention to leave • Fearing what Plato may say about him back in Athens tyrant arranged for his capture by pirates • Again state using piracy for its own ends • Saved by a friend who happened to be at the slave auction

6. Gradually Athens able to rebuild its naval strength. • New enemy arrived • Philip II leader of the Macedonians

7. Eventually Philip defeated the Athenians in the battle of Chaeroneia • Forcing the Athenians to sign a peace treaty • Included in the treaty were the lines:

8. “those participating in the peace may sail the sea, and nobody may hinder them or stop any of their ships; and if anyone do this he is the enemy of all participating in this peace”

9. Despite this statement • Effectively outlawing piracy • Piracy continued in the Mediterranean • Philip still had one remaining enemy • The Persians

10. Philip’s son took the battle to the Persians • Alexander (“the Great”) • Alexander put an end to the pirate attacks • Secured all harbors

11. Under Alexander, Piracy was controlled in the eastern Mediterranean • Policy did not survive his death • Successors fought for a piece of the empire • Piracy reigned once more as a tool of profit and control

12. A few moments on assignments • Due 11th March • 800 – 1000 word paper based on the movie Captain Kidd and the book by Robert Ritche • I am expecting you to compare what you have learnt about piracy of the era and Captain Kidd specifically and the way in which the story is told in the film • Motivation: to begin to understand the way in which pirates have been understood (and ‘tamed’?) in later eras • www.uidaho.edu/~chambers

13. Pirates are the most hated enemies of Rome, and not just of Rome, but of all mankind Cicero

14. Eastern shore of Adriatic Sea ideal location for pirate bases. • Many natural harbors and coves • Offer security needed • The Illiyrian people took advantage

15. Merchants asked for help • No Greek state had the power to take action • Rome not willing to take action • Only a few occasional merchants • Not worth the cost and risk

16. Illiyrian King took advantage of the situation • united many of the Illiyria petty kings • again ‘states’ using freelance seaborne warriors to their own advantage • After his death his queen, Queen Teuta, continued his policy

17. Queen Teuta used the pirates in different ways • To harass Illyria’s enemies • To cooperate with her navy in ‘official’ war • Sometime to plunder (and of course to share the booty) • While of course always maintaining deniability

18. The pirates, like many before and after them, turned to trickery when needed • In one city they pretended to be merchants, idiotic merchants. • After attracting a large crowd by selling goods at low cost • They revealed their weapons and took every one captive and sold them into slavery • On another occasion they came ashore carrying water jugs asking for permission to refill them • Hidden in the jars were short swords • Plot detected and they were defeated

19. Eventually she used the pirates to conquer the entire coast • Hubris took hold • Queen ordered capture of two merchant ships from Rome • After merchants complaints Romans sent two envoys to voice Rome’s concerns

20. Teuta’s response • “It is an ancient custom of the land of the Illyians and of its rulers that the queen does not interfere with the actions of her private citizens taking plunder on the sea”

21. Envoys reply • “Queen Teuta, the Romans have an excellent tradition, which is that the state concerns itself with punishing those who commit private wrongs and with helping those who suffer them. With the gods’ help we shall do our utmost, and that very soon, to make you reform this ancient custom of your kings” • Queen was furious at these words

22. She arranged for the envoys ship to be captured by pirates • The envoy was then murdered • Not a smart move! • No matter what her motives • According to Rome she was guilty

23. Nothing happened • Queen Teuta assumed she had given the Romans a sharp lesson • ‘do not interfere’ • She sent out fleets to sieze • Epidamnus and Corcyra • Two most important trading stations for Rome/Greek trade • 1st attack on Epidamnus failed • Attack on Corcyra was successful • Illyians put Demetrius of Pharos in command • They then returned to Epidamnus

24. At this moment when Epidamnus was about to fall • When all seemed lost • When no Greek power could stand up to Illyia • When it seemed certain that Queen Teuta would dominate and control the western coast of Greece • A fleet of 200 hundred Roman ships appeared

25. The ships headed to Corcyra • Demetrius • realized resistance was futile • offered himself as an advisor • Fleet headed to Apolliana where it met with a second Roman Consul had an army of 20,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry • In short order the Romans defeated the Queen put Demetrius in command of the Illyrinas

26. The pirates of Cilicia and Rome

27. Piracy in Cilicia began under the auspice of Tryphon • wanted to break the hold of the Seleucid Empire • Encouraged Cilicians to attack Seleucid possessions • provided ships and paid crews • Tryphon was not a successful pirate himself • He was run aground put under siege and committed suicide • But he left the idea, a legacy of piracy • And a political situation in chaos

28. Cilicians organized into communities led by ‘Pirate Kings’ • led raids throughout the whole of the eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean • Slaving was the specialty of these groups • They had a ready market slaves at Delos • A no questions asked island emporium

29. Eventually Rome responded to complaints • Roman senate appointed Marcus Antonius (grandfather of Marc Antony) as governor of region that included Cilicia • Mission: Suppress the pirates • Antonius gained enough plunder and inflicted enough damage to be granted a victory in Rome, but he had not solved the problem

30. Rome issued statements stating that everyone • ‘must be able to sail the seas in safety’ • And appeared to have the might and desire to stop pirates • But then the Romans stopped fighting pirates and began fighting each other – Romans vs. Italians • And after that was settled they had to deal with a war with the king of Pontus Mithridates

31. Not until Pompey the Great arrived several years later that Mithridates was cornered and committed suicide • The pirates were isolated • but not stopped

32. The Pirates of the Mediterranean continued to harass and attack Rome • It appeared that no region was safe • By 75 BCE the coast of Italy was declared unsafe • The major port city of Ostia was plundered • They burned a consular fleet

33. They also continued to take captives • Including a young Julius Caesar • The pirates demanded a ransom of 20 Talents • (About $200,000) • Caesar laughed at this and told them to demand at least 50 Talents

34. Caesar exercised and competed against the pirates • He recited poetry he had written if the didn’t appreciate it he told them they were “ignorant barbarians” • When tired he would tell them to be quiet why he took a nap • And, to their laughs, he told them that when free he would return and crucify them all

35. After he was freed, Caesar commandeered a fleet and returned to the pirates lair captured them all • When the local magistrates were a little slow in handing out punishment • Caesar took them and crucified them all • But because of his ‘compassionate’ nature, once he had seen them on the crucifix • He quickly dispatched them by slashing their throats

36. Romans, like many nations after them, attempted to use public displays to scare people away from piracy • They publicly • Beheaded pirates • Crucified pirates • Fed them to wild beasts • A Turkish pirate was turned slowly on a spit for three hours and roasted to death • And as we shall see Captain Kidd was hung in chains on the banks of the River Thames • And…….

37. It is also from piracy of this era that we can find the possible antecedent of the myth of walking the plank • When capturing ships the pirates would ask if any aboard were Roman • If answered in the affirmative, the pirates, would feign fear, and dress the individual in the finest clothes on board

38. After cowering before the Roman they would announce • “oh, no, a Roman? We must see that you are delivered from off our ship as soon as possible” • Then insisted that the Roman climb a ladder and jump overboard • If unwilling, they would, ‘help’ the Roman • Piracy continued to grow • Trade stopped and shortages hit Rome

39. Eventually Pompey the Great persuaded the Roman Senate to give him supreme command of all forces an led a concerted attack • He dispatched numerous fleets to different area to tie up the pirates in local conflict • At the same time he moved his main fleet from location to location destroying the now isolate pirates

40. In approximately four months Pompey • Captured 71 Ships • Accepted surrender of 300 more • Took cities, forts, and places of refuge • And was responsible for the death of 10,000 pirates • He also looked to root causes • Settled the remaining captives on land throughout the empire

41. After the fall of Roman Empire the Mediterranean was once again open to pirates • However, the end of the empire also dramatically reduced the amount of trade • Therefore taking away the motivation for the pirates

42. The VikingsPirates to Empire Builders A voyage to a far land with booty awaiting a man and this smell in his nostrils, is a good a lot as could be desired, and a sure cure for age and sorrow. It is strange that we Northmen, who know this and are more skillful seamen than other men, sit at home as much as we do, when we have the whole world to plunder Toke

43. One possible reason for the commencement of piratical activity among the Viking • Was therefore the pressure from Charlemagne to the south • Additional motivation can be found in • Changing climate • It was becoming drier and colder which affected agricultural production

44. At the same time the birthrate was heading upward • Producing more men than the land could support • Local warfare gave men the opportunity to fight • When the conflicts were settled numerous young, battle hardened, warriors were forced leave their homes to seek their fortune • They turned to the sea and raiding

45. Technology was what allowed these young men to be successful • The best example of these development is the Gokstad Ship

46. The Gokstad ship was uncovered from a burial mound in south-western Norway in 1880 Built around 850 77 feet long 17 feet wide 6.5 feet deep After it had been used for several years it provided the setting for a royal funeral Burial or funeral pyre were the chosen types of funeral

47. The ship was dragged just under two miles inland and lowered into a deep trench • The king was laid in the boat • Mourners and/or family surrounded him with weapons and personal possessions • And a number of slaughtered animals including • 12 horses • 6 dogs • 1 peacock • The king and the boat were then buried and the location became known as Kongshagen or King’s Mound

48. What made this ship, and others like it, so effective was • The ships were small and easily maneuvered • They were fast and could cross open ocean • They could be portaged over short distances • They could be beached on any level shore • The two-prowed design allowed a quick launch • They had a large sail and oar holes • The Gokstad ship had 32 oars but 64 shields

49. In 1893 a replica of the Gokstad ship was built and sailed from Bergen in Norway to America • To take part in the Chicago World’s Fair • Leaving on April 30th • A Crew of 12 with • 2 chronometers • Spare rigging • And 1000 bottles of beer • In four weeks it arrived in America

50. Earliest report of Viking attack on England was in A.D. 787. “This year King Bertric took Edburga the daughter of Offa to wife. And in his days came first three ships of the Northmen from the land of robbers.” But a more famous attack occurred in 793 At this time the monastery of Lindisfarne ‘the holy island’ was attacked