E X T E N S I O N HISTORY OF PIRACY The origin of piracy is closely connected to the development of commerce by sea and, consequently, of ports and shipping routes. One of the oldest documents referring to piracy was found in Egypt and dates back to 1350 B.C. It is an inscription on a clay tablet which tells about shipping attacks in North Africa. The word pirate was first used by the Greek historian Polybius in 140 B.C. (peirate¯s). But it is Plutarch who gave us the oldest clear definition of pirates as those who attack without legal authority not only ships, but also maritime cities . The goal of the pirates were the ships sailing across the Mediterranean Sea and carrying goods to the provinces of the Roman empire. Most of the bandits had their bases on the coast of present Turkey. Their attacks were so frequent that the Roman authorities had to pass a Piracy Law in 100 B.C. During the Middle Ages the most notorious1 pirates of the North Sea were the Vikings. They came from Sweden, Norway and Denmark and plundered2 the coasts of many countries, including England, Ireland and Northern France. On the other hand, the Mediterranean was infested by Muslim pirates from Barbary, namely the North African area between the Atlantic Ocean and the western border of Egypt. The discovery of America in 1492 started the colonial expansion of many European countries (in particular Britain, Spain, Holland and France) and shifted the centre of trade routes from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. The crucial question of the control of the seas set one country against another and made it easy for ambitious sailors or adventurers to find a way to legalize cruel acts of piracy. In 16th century a new type of pirates appeared: privateers3. Privateers acted on behalf 4 of a king or territorial governor, who gave them the authority and license to attack enemy ships, and then took a share of the profits. This is the case of Francis Drake, John Hawkins and Walter Raleigh. With the blessing of Queen Elizabeth I, they were engaged in the capture of Spanish treasure ships bringing precious metals, tobacco and slaves from America and Africa. 1. notorious: famous for something bad. 2. plunder: to attack a place to steal things and money. 3. privateer: corsair. 4. on behalf: as a representative. 49