Introduction

       As long as there have been ships at sea, piracy has been a fact of life. Records of pirates raids come from Sumeria, Babylon, and Egypt; pirates sail through the pages of Ancient Greek epics; and Muslim pirates raided the Byzantium coasts. However, our modern view of pirates is most heavily influenced by the pirates who stalked the waters of the Caribbean Sea after the European colonization of the Americas.

       These pirates are often romanticized, even seen in a heroic light despite their violent crimes. Undoubtedly, pirates acted in the interest of personal gain, in a chaotic and unruly environment. Were they the source of that environment, or a symptom of a larger system?