NOT HISTORY TERROR ON THE HIGH SEAS! No Drinking, Tracing Piracy from The Forgotten ne Out at 8 and Past to Present: Tale of Jeanne de Other Surprising 1 oOo Mala dioina Clisson,The Lioness aicehmeony with Expert Dr. Peter Lehr of Brittany X Marks the Spot? 3 Legendary Treasures Still Waiting to be FoundCONTENTS Ancient Origins Magazine | Issue 38 [June 2022 12 Where X Marks the Spot: Rare Ancient Treasures, Codes, and Cryptic Clues 26 The Revenge of Pirate Jeanne de Clisson - The Lioness of Brittany 30 Benjamin Hornigold, Founder of the Republic of Pirates 36 When Julius Caesar Was Kidnapped by Pirates He Made Them Increase the Ransom! 38 Hostis Humani Generis: Pirates of Port Royal and Tortuga 52 _ The Reality of Pirate Life 5Q _ Pirates, Privateers, and Treasures of the Mascarenes JQ The Ultimate Pirate Branding Symbol - The Origin of the Jolly Roger The Pirate Code: Rules of Conduct for Life at Sea Piracy through the Ages: An Interview with Dr. Peter Lehr Extraordinary Stories of Infamous Pirate Ships The Valley of Headless Men: Mysterious Decapitation in Canada’s Nahanni Valleymagazine@ancient-origins.net ancientoriginsmagazine.com 04 Editor's Note O6 ArchaeoNews Origins Rising: 08 return of the Hobbit 10 Fabulous Creatures: Davy Jones - and His Locker 110 Artifact World: The ‘Ain Ghazal Statues: Jordan's Unique and Graceful Neolithic Figures 112 Academy of Taste: Ice Cream, One of the World’s Oldest Desserts CHIEF EDITOR ART DIRECTOR a AUTHOR COORDINATOR = EDITOR ADVERTISING MANAGER CONTRIBUTORS,"In an honest service there is thin commons, low wages, and hard labor; in this, plenty and satiety, pleasure and ease, liberty and power; and who would not balance creditor on this side, when all the hazard that is run for it, at worst, is only a sour look or two at choking. No, a merry life and a short one, shall be my motto.” - Bartholomew "Black Bart" Roberts BLACK Bart was a successful Welsh pirate during the Golden ‘Age of Piracy. He captured and looted more ships than many of his contemporaries, had his own fleet of four ships and hundreds of men following his orders, and he died as he had wished ~ he was just 40 years old when he was killed in action by pirate hunters in 1722. Black Bart wasn’t alone in seeing the allure of piracy. It's estimated that during the Gold Age of Piracy there were more than 5000 pirates. You know many of their names: Henry Morgan, William ‘Captain’ Kidd, ‘Calico’ Jack Rackham, and the fearsome Blackbeard (Edward Teach). They were notorious and many of the pirates embraced their terrifying reputation, even advertising it with their iconic flags. ‘When other ships saw the black flag flying, they knew they were in for a horrifying encounter. Things changed with the popularity ‘of books such as Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. Pirates became linked to stories of buried treasure and adventure. They were swashbucklers and plunderers with eyepatches, men who kept parrots on their shoulders and said things like “Avast me hearty! Pirates became increasingly gentler, and even fun, over the years. | remember watching gentlemen pirates like the ludicrous Captain Hook in the film Hook, and charming rogues like the Dread 4 ALICIA MCDERMOTT Chief Editor, Ancient Origins Magazine Pirate Roberts in The Princess Bride and Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean. But the tides have shifted again, and with current world events we're remembering that piracy isn’t all fun and games...or a thing of the past. This issue reveals real stories of pirates. We trace their journeys from the havens of Port Royal to the Indian Ocean. Along the way we reveal the origins of the Jolly Roger, pirate codes of conduct, and the punishments awaiting the men who stepped out of line. We even debunk some popular myths — forget buried treasures and walking the plank! Terrorism and piracy expert Dr. Peter Lehr highlights the similarities and differences between pirates from the past and present, providing a fuller picture of the history of piracy, why people become pirates, and techniques to eradicate piracy. ‘Turning away from the scoundrels who rule the high seas, we find ourselves investigating mysteries such as the gruesome story of headless people found in Canada’s wild Nahanni Valley and the controversy surrounding treasures that many people swear are still waiting to be discovered around the world. OR ON THE HIGH SEAS! EXPERTS IN THIS ISSUE. DR. PETER LEHR Dr. Peter Lehr is Senior Lecturer at the Centre forthe Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPY) at the University ‘of St Andrews. He is the author of Pirates “A New History, editor of Violence at Ser Piracy inthe Age of Global Terrorism, and coreditor of Loyd’s MIU Handbook of ‘Marine Security, Currently, he i finishing, ‘a book manuscript on the history of maritime terrorism for Edward Elgar AARONNE COLAGROSSI Aaronne Colagrossi obtained a degree in Geological Sciences from the University ‘of Molise. His book Piri Sacco Scacco/ Pintes in Check explores the adventures ‘ofthe pirates of the Caribbean in 1665 Hes also the author of several books on paleontology, including a novel entitled ‘Megaloxlon the perfect predatorSUBSCRIBE and SAVE al , . ae NT ORIGINS 1 FULL YEAR ro ancient origins magazine.com Nag $99.99Archaeonews IBy Micki Pistorius Lidar Reveals Lost PNT Maal See eae ent eer nen r Amazonian civilization has been found. Senos Dense vegetation in the area of northern Bolivia Researchers have used lidar to identify a series of raised platforms and pyramids in the Llanos de Mojos region ‘of northern Bolivia, which was inhabited by an Amazonian civilization from 500 to 1400 AD. Study lead author Heiko Priimers, an archaeologist at the German Archaeological Institute in Bonn, said mounds turned out to be vast ceremonial centers with huge, raised platforms of earth, topped by enormous pyramids. While the two ma- jor sites at Cotoca and Landivar were known about previously, a total of 24 sites of a pre-Hispanic culture have now been identified. 16th century Spanish missionaries reported a small indigenous farming community in the area, but it turns out to have been a civilization which had built a complex network of cities and towns amidst almost 1,000 kilometers of canals and mud causeways. The civilization’s name has been lost to history, so itis, now called Casarabe, after the nearby town. 6Man-Made Viking Cave System Excavated in Iceland Recent excavations of 10th-century Viking era caves southwest of Oddi in southern Iceland have revealed a massive interconnected underground system that is larger and older than previously thought. According to archaeologist Kristborg bérsdéttir, the caves are all man-made but experts are still uncertain of the purpose behind the cave system’s creation. Oddi is, a historically and culturally relevant location, once ruled by one of Iceland's, most important political seats, the powerful Oddverjar clan. During the peak of their reign (11 - 12th centuries) a vibrant writing culture developed. Strangely, the caves were buried in the 10th century, but they were mentioned in Bishop Porlékur’s “Legends of Saints,” dating to the first half of the 13th century. In this fable, the location was called Nautahellir, Bull Cave, which collapsed with 12 bulls in it. For the first time scientists have been able to sequence an entire human ‘genome from a man who lived 1,900 years ago and died during the eruption ‘of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD at Pompeii. Since the victims of Pompeii experi- enced a natural catastrophe in the form of a thermal shock it was not known whether their genetic material could be preserved. Yet when Dr. Gabriele Scor- rano, assistant Professor at the Section for Geogenetics at the University of Copenhagen, conducted bioarchaeolog- ical and palaeogenomic analyses of two skeletons, it was established that one of them shared DNA that is similar to modern Italians from central Italy and Sardinia, Further analysis of the man’s skeleton revealed lesions in one of the vertebrae, with DNA sequencing sug- gesting he had tuberculosis right before Pompeii man and woman discovered in the Casa del Fabbro, or House of the ie death ie fate was sealed by he a7, ‘Craftsman, in'a photograph taken in 1934 Notizie degli Scavi di Antichita eruption.TN Li uy Bre Eau) Eu eCaVEUy ERC ROE SO a Beal Eloy Aaa) For more information the island visit the web ste of Flores, De ee oe) humans arrived there about SOMONE Oe ten) re eee ame a Pee en sens oer ere Cer er) eo L es Oxford trained anthropologist Gregory Forth, a retired professor from Canada’s Weer Seem CeO ae a Ce oe ec Ee nee ea the Trail of a Hidden Hominoid, (Pegasus Books, 2022), Dr. Forth pen ae eee pe en ee could, in fact, be sightings of the Cee ee Mn Recs OP Ree eee A Ru ed eee RR RU ee ey Bee eee tall. Partial skeletons of at least GU es aes Re etc ee eae a Re eos DE ea aa Cee sea Cote ee amine SCO Sad gen ee TPR ne a Re eee “i Magazine contributor and fee CeUa eset) Peete Dea es eee saa Peer ee Ce ae = en ee ie eee et eee real Ce coeur they could well provide the Cente eee ee Ce are ea eRe eu Race a re had declared the Hobbit to. Cece Pesach ccc ke) Homo sapiens. Falk had esc ncg) Sree ea Eat eas Raed Bee see eres ote a ey eal oe ee Pee UC) Nene) tales of small, hairy, humanoid of Homo floresiensis. rey aes Cewek aoe) 7 PR eae Paeee ee ere jan Bua, Flores, Indonesia, Rosino / CC BY: RoR eee when H. floresiensis was discovered, and he realized there might be a Cons ea ea Deke eT) called Lio, which were said to still Pee eau Ete kt Ree a a ecm enema ee ee ca Oka) man who told of disposing of the Coe eae enema Re auc cd light-colored hair on its body, a Seu ee) Skull photo: H. loresiensis skull, Cantonal Museum of Geology, Switzerland. Rama / CC Pe eae ue coc) SMe ee eke ng creatures matching the description of H. floresiensis. Soe a Bena etad Crea a con React \ Sc co a Dene Pena Oe nT a eens ee Pomoc Crna ene oi Aa i Ree For one, Dr. Martinez, author of Lost History of the Little Peoples—Their eset ees Re Pre te legend of “white gods” in southern Nene as ae Ce oe a ego reer u enone ei) COS eae Sine a Ste tan ae Sepa na people; and connected possibly, it seems, toa peculiar species, ee EER cn Ere eee Es OO eee OER acs Bee cer COREE Cuno Get eee tens Cee Re ee eee CCU Reet So ee ents Reagan eee acs TO cee Tec ea ecm eo Res) Cee a eee SA ae aaa Cee Re mas the future had a big brain and 1 small teeth. He lived in Rea cs Dymus Pee Cy omen’ eae Geet ea Cor) Tene) Sea Ce aC ame Ce ee Aer Geen en crests eee aes meek enemies cua a Eee te ees eee esa Use rca ee Ce eu sad Pm teed ee eee ey of the Kalahari. Roe Cut ace CeCe ay distinctly Boskopoid features. Pete ue eae ee ee Bushman, like the Flores hobbit, is well proportioned, and has a brain Cte eee cg Barner ee mena aera ee eed Dene eee book, Ghosts of Atlantis is published ger eed ea a the web site AtlantisRising.com. m aren)» FABULOUS 3 CREATURES aay CHRISTIAN Mai Sy) Bc Sus feiateere RU ug Cera alae cy Deed ee a Cee acs Cee Eee pared ead a I Reread anc Rene ar a) Cees Deen present-day Pirates eet ee ee aes a Dre as age a eae eked eee ee Pee ai eo oe eee ey Se asec tee Rac a ae of the ship's crew that if they are Cee ame ee Cd Da eee ng a ery Poon jet faring life is exposed, warning the Ce Mca en RS Pee eom UEC DeSean ean Bre Ege eae ce Dt ae eB CT CMC Ue) Peet sag te Pouce AUuLl saucer-like eyes, three rows of teeth, horns, and a tail, with blue smoke eo aes Cee ee Cee Meee tee ety See Pee cmon before a maritime disaster strikes, Pen the sea, where all wrecked ships and drowned sailors end their days. As for Davy Jones’ locker? This is STOIC mea Se) and her crew are lost at sea, they» RS ac Oia eee tsa DORR RU al Ream rants coe x eee a EURO eRe eee Oe Dee hae ae Ce Re acd “This same Davy Jones, according Ree eM Re ee over all the evil spirits of the deep, Ere eae Une eo Seen een ta ean eve of hurricanes, ship-wrecks, Bee Soe Rio SRR ea a ee ee Leese ng otherwise lost to history real-life eames eA CE ccacl a) PON ak ae Sa acl en Rel Caan Coen) NTs -ano His Locker, Pt ir oa i Ate CMU eS re eee aac Cie ne Rec g a Ree ee) eon eg Locker, according to 19th-century English maritime folklore, the Sea Rem een ee) who died in their beds was to go Belt eae Elo Rn eae Pen ca stopped flowing, and where the Oe ee ee See ek kod Breen ec eee a fd De ee eae aes Se ee Rea cred i eee aed Tee ers Cen ae ec a aster aa ee | -MAGAZINE VEU Relea Presents a Special Collector's Sdition % pts MYSTERIES ‘Alantis Rising Magazine presents this beautiful special edition of ANCIENT MYSTERIES in a full-color edition featuring articles by some ofthe foremost researchers in the world on LOST TECHNOLOGY, LOST CIVILIZATION, SCIENCE AND THE VERY OLD, and_ EGYPT. » Download this|Special|Edition FREE at AtlantisRising’com eet ee * Copper Mining in Ancient America er ree en te ee) Se ae err et) + 3-D Stone Age Art discovered at Gobekli Tepe « Ice-Age-End Scenarios — SS hor a) ere oy Ca err) ye) + Return to the Great Sphinx Sree it cen ett) Ea aac TU MR ee ee we a - . g L ) : $s 2 eal PX a emen pfecete| art] coapteced | AS| anterto | PenceSee fade and ost ancient treasures; decoding symbols, lines, codes, and notes on maps, co __ scribbled in mysteriotis languages, while they dedicate their lives to oad yes OSS eae CRCnnC Reems ent eknrs og we =,ee ereE eR ese ee TCR enero eee eee ta Rated neers meray caret Reger cheeses etersPechaps the epitome of fictional treasure maps, created by Robert Louis Stevenson and published in Treasure Island. From the first German edition in 41883, the ‘Where the X- ‘marks the spot’ archetype was barn, Public domain hile fiction is awash with treasure maps, in real life archaeologists and historians have only ever found a handful of texts, scrolls, carvings, and maps that could be considered authentic, and the following three examples are not without controversy, each one having its staunch pack of believers and skeptics. ‘THE QUMRAN COPPER SCROLL AND THE HUNT FOR TREASURE In 1952 a team of archaeologists began excavating caves near Khirbet Qumran, in the Dead Sea area near the Israeli settlement and kibbutz of Kalya, where they discovered the famous Dead Sea Scrolls rolled up inside pottery jars. (On March 14, 1952, the Copper Scroll was found in a wall of Cave 3. While it is considered as one of the Dead Sea Scrolls, this unique scroll was crafted on copper and tin in the Hebrew Mishnaic dialect language, Bible. Finding such a rare scroll is the real deal when it comes to treasure hunting, especially since the scroll itself contains clues to the locations of 63 gold and silver treasures buried around the Holy Land. Hundreds of experts have attempted to date the Copper Scroll. For example, using paleographic analysis Dr. F, M. Cross estimated it had been ‘The Qumran Caves where treasure hunters and archaeologists continue to ‘hunt for more scrolls: CC BY-SA 3.0 created between 25 and 75 AD, while W. F. Albright suggested some time between 70 to 135 AD. What is more, scholars all have opinions as to the fate of the 63 treasure hoards mentioned in the scroll. Many believe at least some of the treasure would have been found by Romans or other looters. However, the academic community generally agree that the value of the accumulated hoards would be staggering if found, and it would certainly be considered one of the greatest archaeological treasure finds of all time. In 2019 archaeologists announced that they are racing against grave robbers to find more ancient Dead Sea Scrolls. The treasures mentioned in the Copper Scroll total over 4,600 pieces of silver and gold with a value estimated at well over $1 billion, However, the clues to where the treasures are hidden are written in such an obscure way that treasure hunters and academic researchers have had great difficulty in deciphering them. For example, one column reads: “in the salt pit that is under the steps: 41 talents of silver. In the cave of the old washer’s chamber, on the third terrace: 65 ingots of gold.” ‘A question many would love to answer is whether the Copper Scroll treasure will ever be found. The problem with deciphering the clues is twofold. The locations on 1516 the scroll are written so that the reader would require adequate knowledge of the region and places mentioned in the somewhat obscure references, and the directions do not have defined starting points which makes the clues virtually impossible to follow. The difficulties with making sense of the clues on the Copper Scroll were learned the hard way when in 1962 archaeologist John Allegro embarked on an extensive treasure hunt and excavated several potential burial places that were listed on the scroll, but failed to recover any treasure whatsoever. Amore promising attempt at finding the treasure was launched in 2007 when scholar Jim Barfield Used triangulation techniques and claimed to have “found” some of the locations in the area surrounding Qumran. “In one case the scroll described steps, 40 cubits long, heading east and Barfield did indeed find stairs conforming to the description,” explained a report about Barfield’s investigation in Breaking Israel News. “He also discovered the remains of a pool, precisely 40 cubits long, exactly where the scroll said it would be, however, lacking government permission, he could g0 no further.” These days, even if an Indiana Jones type of super sleuth was to solve the scroll, and ‘was 100 percent certain about the whereabouts of these treasures, the current political situation in the region where the scrolls were found makes it almost impossible to obtain the licenses needed for excavation work. DECODING THE DUBIOUS BEALE CIPHERS Moving from the archaeological sturdiness of the Copper Scroll to a treasure of a more questionable nature, in 1820 an American man named Thomas Jefferson Beale handed a wooden box containing three encoded ciphertexts to a local innkeeper, who subsequently passed the mysterious texts on toa “friend” just before he died. This is the origin story of one of North America’s most enduring treasure tales which was taken to another level of intrigue after the “friend” managed to decode one set of clues. In 1885 he published his revelations in a pamphlet, describing the contents of the treasure as being $43 million worth of gold, silver, and jewels buried at a secret location in Bedford County, Virginia. The deciphered cryptogram reads: “I have deposited in the county of Bedford, about four miles from Buford’s, in an excavation or vault, six feet below the surface of the ground, the following articles, belonging. jointly to the parties whose names are given in number three, herewith: The first deposit consisted of ten hundred and fourteen pounds of gold, and thirty-eight hundred and twelve pounds of silver, deposited Nov. eighteen nineteen. The second was made Dec. eighteen twenty- one, and consisted of nineteen hundred and seven pounds of gold, and twelve hundred and eighty-eight of silver; also jewels, obtained in St. Louis in exchange for silver to save transportation, and valued at thirteen thousand dollars. The above is securely packed in iron pots, with iron covers. The vault is roughly lined with stone, and the vessels rest on solid stone, and are covered with others. Paper number one describes the exact locality of the vault, so that no difficulty will be had in finding it.” ‘The main reason scholars argue as to the authenticity of the Beale treasure is that the text presented above was decoded by the “friend” of the innkeeper who used an edition of the United States Declaration of Independence as the key for a modified book cipher. With this key, he successfully deciphered the second ciphertext which gave him a description of the buried treasure. This might remind one of the plot of the 2004 movie National Treasure in which Nicholas Cage playing Benjamin Franklin Gates, a historian and amateur cryptologist searching for a lost treasure that was accumulated by American Freemasons during the American Revolutionary War, used a coded map and also deciphered the key on the back of the Declaration of independence, revealing the hidden location of the national treasure, * Like the 2004 film, National Treasure, the ciphertexts were decoded using the United States Declaration of Independence as a key.De ea ad Cee ences treasure lies somewhere in Bedford Cece eee ec cen See eC failed to discover it. In Pennsylvania gee eee ee aad conducted at the top of Porter's Imac Coes nee ecg See et a Renee Dee eee eee Semeur a Cree mee compensated for the expeditions’ Cee mac Pea tur eae tae enc ag at locating Beale’s vault of treasure was made in 2015 by Josh Gates in Deanne cu Reet tye CTR ae ey investigating the Beale Ciphers and See eRe The Beale Papers, tainted with a Brame eens ac err ee ue tects have taken the time to lay out Re eee casas prominent skeptics is cryptographer Tc RPO seed an article titled A Dissenting Opinion, and the scholar Joe Nickel, who ee ears eg The secret of Beale’s treasure. Both Set cue cee eter! Meee a noes ERC Ca) and Dr. Nickel presented linguistic eee un Sc documents “could not have been Manca ee ce DSeuc aR era BI Rec acon Pia ee me Re Tee eeu ane Rie enna Seances CAC cel Bee cama eau MeR au eed Tet RR ee ROC was a member. The “vault” was, in Scag ae od death and the grave, where alone a eR mean : Parer Beat ‘Treasure BurieD 1819 ao 189Cocos Island, Costa Rica. eas earn ISLA DEL COCO AND THE TREASURE OF LIMA Isla del Coco, or Cocos Island, is a designated National Park located in the Pacific Ocean about 342 miles off the coast of Costa Rica, with an area of approximately 9.212 square miles. Not only is this island famous for hoarding the treasure of Benito of the Bloody Sword, Captain Cook and Sir Francis Drake, but modern treasure hunters like President Franklin Roosevelt obsessed over what is thought of as one of the largest lost treasures hoards ever buried - The Great Treasure of Lima. Sir Francis Drake frequently landed on the island and rumors persist that he also buried a treasure hoard, This was reportedly around the same time the Great Treasure of Lima was said to have been taken to the island by descendants of Inca leaders and hidden somewhere on Mount Iglesias, the highest point on the island. Perhaps some of this loot was discovered after the author Reagen Smith proclaimed a British explorer had found an iron-bound chest that spilled out a hoard of Spanish gold 18 This cave in the Juukan Gorge was destroyed in a mining blast in ‘Australia. University of Melbourne coins, high in a cave overlooking Wafer Bay. The legendary treasure of the Portuguese pirate Benito Bonito, or Benito of the Bloody Sword, has inspired over 300 formal treasure hunts on this island over the last two centuries. At the dock in Acapulco, Bonito and his men captured a Mexican mule train with over 300,000 pounds of silver bars, plate, and coin which he said he buried in a sandstone cave in a mountain on the island. Historians have estimated the pirate’s hoard to have a value in excess of $1 billion in today’s currency, however Bonito was executed and his legendary hoard has never been retrieved. With so many legends and factual accounts of several major treasures having been buried on the island, in 1897 the Costa Rican government granted the German adventurer and treasure hunter August Gissler the title of first Governor of Cocos Island, which allowed him to establish a colony. Itis alleged that Gissler found some of the Great Treasure of Lima, and according to the tales of a later German hermit, Heinz Hemmeter, who also lived on the island, Gissler found the Treasure of Lima at the bottom of a waterfall in a pool about 100 feet in circumference. In 2011, the Costa Rican government issued another treasure recovery license toBritish treasure hunter, Mike Munroe, to carry out non-invasive operations. ig to an article in The Telegraph, Munroe was after the Great Treasure of Lima Cathedral, which is known to include “two life-sized solid gold statues of the Blessed Virgin and Child and 273, jeweled swords and candlesticks,” among thousands of precious stones and silver artworks, which together are estimated to have been worth around $60 million at the time (around $2.5 billion today). One of the most thrilling accounts of the Treasure of Lima was given by Robert Charroux, a French author who founded the International Treasure-Seekers Club and published Treasures of the World in 1962. Based on the account given in Charroux’s book some researchers have calculated the location of the treasure as “within 100 yards of: 5 degrees, 30 minutes, 17 seconds latitude north and 87 degrees, 0 minutes, 40 seconds longitude west, south of the Bay of Hope, north-northeast of Meule Island.” This location is currently in the sea just off the coast of the island, but itis thought that this indicates a cave that was accessible at low tide in the 16th-century. Sir Francis Drake (1580) National Portrait Gallery. Public domain 19MEL FISHER'S PERSEVERANCE AND THE ATOCHA MOTHERLODE Dedicating your life to following a treasure map, it would seem, requires a hardy approach alongside a fearless attitude to the possibility of waking up one day to discover that a goose chase has consumed many years of one's life. Such was the case for Mel Fisher (August 21, 1922 - December 19, 1998), the American treasure hunter remembered for having lost his son and daughter-in-law when their boat capsized while treasure hunting in 1975, before going on to discover the 1622 wreck of the Nuestra Sefiora de Atocha. ‘Alone, broke, and nevertheless determined, Mel went to sea with his treasure maps, convinced he would one day find the legendary Spanish galleon. After a lifetime of searching and having lost all that he had once loved to his quest, on July 20, 1985, he discovered what is now known as the ‘Atocha Motherlode. The treasure includes 40 tons of gold and silver; 114,000 Spanish silver coins and 60,000 gold coins, raw Colom! emeralds, 1,000 gold ingots and over 1,000 silver ingots, gold, and silver indigenous artifacts, estimated to be worth $450 million, Mel was one of the lucky few who actually found the Xon the map. ‘Gun of the Spanish ship “Nuestra Setora de Atocha” at the Archivo General de Indias” in Seville, Spain,Ta Rie reat area ose enc Dee Ee) strangle light emitting Se ECE) Rat Dna aera Cees eee CC EM Mir Muhammad, sons of the seventh Imam, Ieee mm eens Crema cect Oe DER tae I see) RTA cr) Ca Re ec of the mirrored dome. See) ees ee) Ca oe To Cm nos TD SUE Nera Qum.Oe ea SR a auc) Pree ciacee cen named Jeanne de Clisson took to the sea with a fleet of warships. eel eae a oa au eae her husband's death. For her eee ES a Dea n eure oe Re) slaughter almost all of the crew of Ra Sen aca esc) Meee ee a Gee cag Pee ce ng Cre cenerrc] Q WAS JEANNE DE CLISSON? ~ Deeks) Mase Teese aE) an. She was married ey eee ere eee aed EI rn commen after his death, Jeanne remarried, this time to Olivier de Clisson, ROW tet Ces ecu ceay service defending Brittany EneaBy way of background, when Reet ee rre nme ek no male heir in 1341, both Caras Read Sam Menard an opportunity. Brittany lay Pee eia cee} Re Luan foothold or buffer to inv: Pierre ge smack) Reo eek Pea ue nec) itself, formed the basis of the re Red baata Eee ay CaaS Ce Although Olivier had served aaa Brittany from the Eng Ramen Execution of Olivier IV de Clisson. Painting attributed to Loyset Liédet, Feats Ios arma PUR eo ne te es oe ad Pesce iam nares ce eg THE BLACK FLEET RISES A eae CeCe cure ke sa z see RU aad tee ee AN ee) Sain secu een aed that Caroma nos fee CROC MA pe eee CU me re ee ee ey Se eam nT ee ed eye RUC ae Te ae a at attacked Eee ae Rae eae men at Phillip VI took Charles Ce eee ed Sag Cenk) for treason. Cee aaa ce ra lca) enemy's ship, leaving only one 1343, he was aU aero el ee Ere nea) Oca Pai oxo coe o Pa RUC Cetera Peres pots tteltoxcrat team Prt Me Les Vg ec Coat ate Elects Lette cu See on ol ce Tama eh Pe nvaat i too. eae Oe Rue Weeaciecas en. Cen citey ROU ae ee FelrreCeme ons to Nantes and Ceo Rien outside the castle of Bouffay. Jeanne, Cn ee ee Re and took to the seas. econ English Channel completely pied ere eae eae en eS chet eee etieoy She had her ships painted _ formed an alliance with the swore vengeance against both UR Rue Cute aed the king and Charles de Blois. Fee a oSeT Sane oe RIL OnE om cae Cron uaa AEs Raa es aU OANA EVER AFTER Se Ease eka Sarees lel od oe at ea Ramee Re Greene Ea eet) Tacs Creme Cen Sige Ea got ee Cs eee eA eto ¥ Se Coa eeu Sue cy We elekotig 9. ee ee K aaa LR coe " and England CA PELE SIC LeU aie ase RIEL) Ata CS el eed Ga iy. There is defenseless damsel in distress, eeu) LT ee Rel cto \ Pena een Rana eae y eu it-uut =e eter ane Retr Peed ke aed DS ia eeS ee) Se eC aaa Castle of Hennebontt in France, which was a territory of her Montfort allies. She later died eure CMs cu een ined perfectly, from her perspective, eee muck) Pe ieee ley ea ROS ia lived until 1364, when he died ee ad eo as a saint in the Roman Catholic cic HISTORICAL EVIDENCE FOR UT a aS eso) verifiable references relating ae Meee ete are limited, but they do exist. ree te) eu aed ee ELe] Core Mee Recs ha sa a Reece) Pca) 1345, records Ue ea Conse EM) ent Peo een eee a eee cs Jeanne de Clisson’s Retna Pia eaeen eR Oey eta De) Bonet Itis clear that ecu reteset Peenretee Centts lead Geutec ae eu ae ecPirate Cemetery, lle Sainte-Marie, Madagascar Home to over 1,000 pirates in the 17th and 18th centuries, lle Sainte-Marie is where you can visit the only pirate cemetery discovered to date. It includes 30 pirate tombstones, including skull and cross bones etchings. There are also several shipwrecks lying at the bottom of the sea surrounding the island Quedagh Merchant, Catalina Island, Dominican Republic For those looking to, literally, immerse themselves in pirate history, a fantastic place to visit is the Captain Kidd Living Museum of the Sea with its undisturbed 17th century shipwreck of the Quedagh Merchant. The capture of this treasure-filled ship was the cause for Captain Kidd’s hanging in 1701. Blackbeard’s Point, Hampton, Virginia The head of the infamous pirate Blackbeard was stuck onto a pole here in 1718 as a warning to other pirates. Legend has it that it was later plated in silver and used as a punch bowl at parties. The city holds an annual Blackbeard Pirate Festival re-enactors on the waterfront. Port Royal, Jamaica Vulnerable to attack from Spanish ships, the local governor encouraged pirates to use British Port Royal as their base. It soon became a hub of pirate activity. Destroyed by an earthquake in 1692, it is now an underwater heritage site popularly called “the Pompeii of the Caribbean.” Rockfleet Castle, Ireland Along the northern shore of Clew Bay in County Mayo, Rockfleet Castle was home to the 16th century Irish pirate Grace O'Malley, who is remembered for having fought to protect Ireland from the English crown. When they tried to destroy her by laying siege to the castle in 1574, she turned the tables on them and hunted themee . M , A IZ IUN * oe Ny A FOUNDER OF ae au OF PIRATES SF NN q N OD a NaBenyanin ForsicoL was an English pirate from the early 18th century who sailed ‘the waters of the Caribbean, specifically in the Bahamas. Best remembered for founding the ‘Republic of Pirates,’ in later life he switched sides and became a pirate hunter helping to bring down the confederacy he had created. Very little is known about Benjamin Hornigold before he became a pirate, however it is believed that he was born around 1680 and came from the English county of Norfolk Hornigold may have started his life at sea by serving on ships sailing from either King’s lynn or Great Yarmouth, He became a pirate in the 1710s, with his first recorded act of piracy in the winter of 1713/1714 during the Golden Age of Piracy. In that year, Hornigold began to loot merchant ships off the coast of Nassau, New Providence, using sailing canoes known as eriaguas, and a small sloop. THE RISE OF THE GOLDEN AGE OF PIRACY It is estimated that during the Golden Age of Piracy there were more than 5,000 pirates operating at sea and scholars have pinpointed a number of factors leading to the rise in piracy during this time. England was experiencing a time of social disruption, with people moving from the countryside to the cities in search of employment. ‘The conditions in these urban areas, however, were no better and many viewed working on a sailing ship as a way out of their pre Nevertheless, ordinary sailors had to work hard, were subject to strict discipline, and earned only modest wages. Piracy, on the other hand, provided these sailors an opportunity to amass their fortunes quickly, and also the chance to take command of their ‘own destiny, ‘The War of the Spanish Succession, which began in 1701 following the death of Charles Il, the last of the Spanish Habsburgs, ‘ended in 1714. As Charles did not leave behind an heir, two dynasties - the Austrian Habsburgs and the French Bourbons - both claimed the Spanish throne, resulting in war in Europe. One of the effects of the war was the ‘employment of many sailors in the navies of the warring European WHEN WAS THE GOLDEN eee Ace.oFr Piracy? HISTORIANS GENERALLY SAY THE GOLDEN AGE OF __ PIRACY BEGAN AROUND THE MIDDLE OF THE 1680S — ~ SHORTLY AFTER HORNIGOLD WAS BORN ~ THOUGH SOME REGARD THE 16505 AS THE During the Golden Age of Piracy there were more than 5,000 pirates operating at sea. states. When the war ended in 1714, however, many of these men were left unemployed, turning to piracy to make a living. It may be possible that Hornigold was ‘one of these unemployed sailors who became a pirate following the war. For young men such as Benjamin Hornigold it is not hard to understand why the life of a pirate would be attractive in the 1700s. 31CTRL Oddly enough, in all his years as Some oR eeu) Cerca geese Deer aaa more closely resembles that ea ees Deu cans Re aac hae ee Een Cen meee Recon eke nn cued Cech ka Oe ask Neer aL a Meson ka OO erie Rue Con Eee enn Ma a ‘might have served as a privateer Cae ance the Spanish Succession, raiding Eau oe a rm Meee Peete -cnoe acd eu u a Eee ie Ree oe Peet aun House of Bourbon, whom the Cer EI eet) Pee Ret ns cing OM ACA eS ec cedar d his country a service by attacking Spanish ships and sparing British ones. But this peculiarity would Centr ete kee aS Co OVEN Ta aga ee CSS Ronen founding fathers of the Republic aac Hornigold was one of the tives ear eee ma Republic of Pirates. ER ae a ma AT Maree pirate hub. Piracy thrived on the fer Cuan ey general, as early as the 1680s, Cree ata Pe Rud Coen ea oo Paoee ce aaa of the trade routes between the Caribbean and the Atlantic. Dene uc Cees eee ca bay and had a small local Pm co Reese) er emcee Tl the 17th century, Nassau had attracted so many pirates that British colonial administrators in Dene aa etek ue Ie aed PeasIn 1703, during the War of the Spanish Succession, the French and Spanish raided Nassau, briefly occupied the settlement, and destroyed it. The little control that the English colonial administration had over Nassau was shattered. This further inspired the pirates to redevelop the settlement as a base for their operations. With the end of the War of the Spanish Succession in 1713, the resulting spike in piracy meant that while Nassau had historically been used as a temporary hub for pirates, they began to settle on a more permanent basis. Based at Nassau, Hornigold was one of the unofficial “rulers” of the Republic of Pirates. Another English pirate, Henry Jennings, was Hornigold’s “co-ruler” and rival. The Republic of Pirates grew into a vibrant settlement, as it attracted not only pirates, but also civilians from various walks of life ~ American and Jamaican colonists, merchants, and ex-sailors from the Royal Navy. ‘At the heart of the Republic of Pirates was the Pirate Code, or something similar. It dictated pirate conduct and provided the settlement with some semblance of law and order. Among other things, the Pirate Code stipulated that loot was to be shared equally and that captains and pirate leaders could be removed by a popular vote. These rules were apparently established in response to the tyranny experienced by many sailors at the hands of their superiors while working for merchants or the navies of various European powers. It was possible for ordinary pirates to rise to the top, and for powerful leaders to be overthrown democratically; Hornigold would become familiar with the second experience. MUTINY AGAINST HORNIGOLD AND THE KING'S PARDON Hornigold’s policy not to attack British ships frustrated his crew. Consequently, in 1716 his men mutinied, voting to remove him as captain - they wanted the ability to raid any ship. Hornigold and his followers were left with a sloop that they had captured previously. His former crew chose Samuel Bellamy to replace him as captain. Although Hornigold’s power was significantly reduced asa result of this,GA ee eta Ora ecu Ly Pee es sTTA eC tec) Ete ee Cy Reece man cosa ato See ae ER td Dec unum Ir who surrendered him or herself to the colonial governors of the Cee eM a esc} eee ier) eS Ree ea) eR De nc Reel a Ce cee ne Rogers himself had been a Peg acu ETZEe enue Peers CC eS Pe eas cua Cree ee a Reece a Scottish sailor marooned on a desert island in the South Pacific Cea a Peek SRC et pene Teen) Preece cer ea Crusoe. VA A ioc) ees ey aan ieee erie) ee iv = : ais ol Erricy nu Pee ea Pe eS aaa comrades who refused to accept the King’s Pardon. Hornigold was CoS nee ae ened ics Curae loos SET TSa ES aay Hornigold seems to have had no Cree na ana oT eee eT} eee Ree) Se it a ae Gesscu cea ct] eet ee ene See kee Ue ‘Auger. Vane was in fact Hornigold’s main target, though he managed to Cie een cuerc es Governor Rogers eventually realized See ea eee like Hornigold was not enough to BU aus The Republic of Pirates needed to be Ceca MUP Been Oct blockaded Nassau and although some pirates succeeded in escaping, kere a Cem tea A eMC Cu Cert COUR British once again. As for Hornigold, De ee Ime rad Peace a La) SOU Rue ue EEC RIL) CeO e mma oho See acu cer etree ed Ree eee ae Ce aE msec Pesan Rene Rs ene Terie POs et cs Roe Sone Er esa ecROR semester ey CeCe: UM eee Cnn eo ci tue cei ‘own. Hornigold was not known to have Peewee ct wage eee ou Cee Ue emt pirates attacked a sloop off Honduras, they ese tk crew. Instead, they only took their hats. acu td ee eee kere hay Ne ie Hornigold’s founding of the Republic Crees ecm ees Pea Uk eee eens gee a ieee I Ronee Rees tae Res mate, recognized his ability and potential, DOU Tae small pirate ship and crew to command. Thus, Hornigold launched the career of re aed ee a Ren cr) Cee) On November 21, 1996, a cluster of cannons, a bronze bell dated 1705, and anchors were discovered on a sandbar in Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina, which led to the salvage of the Queen ‘Anne's Revenge, Blackbeard’s ship which ran aground in 1718. Interestingly, among the finds were paper fragments hidden inside a cannon chamber. According to Erik Farrell, a conservator with the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources’ Queen Anne's Revenge Lab, when they removed a wooden plug from the cannon chamber, they discovered a mass of black textile, which turned out to be 16 microscopic paper fragments. Eventually after almost a year of meticulous research studying the tiny fragments of paper, Kimberly Kenyon, another conservator with the Queen Anne’s Revenge Lab, managed to identify a 1712 first edition book by Captain Edward Cooke, A Voyage to the South Sea, and Round the World as the source. Perhaps not so surprisingly, the book narrates the real-life experiences of Edward Cooke aboard the Duchess, one of the two ships commanded by Captain Woodes Roger -the first Governor of the Bahamas ~ when he was still a privateer from 1708 to 1711. Given that Governor Rogers was the one to appoint Hornigold to pursue the pirates who refused the King’s pardon, and Blackbeard was Hornigold’s erstwhile protégé, it is perhaps not so surprising that Blackbeard needed inside information on Rogers. Before he became the pirate Blackbeard, Edward Teach was an educated youth of the British aristocracy, who spent most of his childhood enthralled by tales al privateering,By the late second century BC, piracy had begun to destabilize the Mediterranean. The lack of a powerful Roman naval power during this time had left the area defenseless. Piracy was also exacerbated by the Roman reliance on pirates procuring slaves during their raids on ships bringing trade from Egypt. These pirates initially had their strongholds on Crete (in the eastern Mediterranean) and on the Balearic Islands (in the western Mediterranean). Later on, they made western Cilicia their base of operations and became known as Cilician pirates. While Cilician pirates captured the crew on foreign ships to sell them into slavery, rich captives were held as hostages and a ransom was demanded for their return, JULIUS CAESAR TAKEN HOSTAGE One of the most colorful stories about these Clician pirates was the time they kidnapped the future dictator of the Roman Republic. In 75 BC a 25-year-old Julius Caesar was captured while on his way to Rhodes to study. The pirates demanded a ransom of 20 talents, to which Caesar laughed, saying that they did not know who he was, and he offered to pay 50 talents. Indeed, Caesar maintained his un-captive-like behavior for the 38 days he was hostage. When he wanted to sleep, he would tell them to stop talking and chide them if they - failed to appreciate the poems Bo, Julius Carsap Was ap KIDNAPPED BY PIRATES HE MADE THEM INCREASE THE RANSOM! BY WU MINGREN and speeches he wrote. He even threatened, laughingly, to have them hanged. The pirates tolerated Caesar’s boldness, attributing it to a sort of “simplicity and boyish mirth.” When the ransom arrived, Caesar was set free and immediately took command of some ships and set sail against the pirates. He had them put in a prison in Pergamon and eventually ordered that they be crucified. ROME FIGHTS BACK: THE END OF THE CILICIAN PIRATES Not long after Caesar's kidnapping, Rome sent expeditions against the pirates in Cilicia. Additionally, the pirates of Crete were attacked, and the island became a Roman province in 67 BC. As the pirates were threatening the food supply of Rome, Pompey was granted extraordinary powers to fight them, Due to their defeat by Vatia some years back, Pompey did not have an overly difficult task to accomplish and swiftly defeated the spirates. Unlike Caesar, however, Pompey understood that the pirates, after losing their base in Cilicia, were _ adrift. Instead of putting them to death, he decided to settle them inland to serve Rome ” as farmers. Thus, the Cilician pirates ceased to be a - problem for Rome. = 6xSQo op ph 3Se MoM Celt amo mL) Atlantis Rising Research Group ~ Sms Cerca a7 E news Ci holistic Ua ‘ancient Pecan TL ‘anomalies, and future ~ science. SPU oe cx Log of our printed edition, but Atlantis CST ai pee Ti) weSTS RE Too rea Onn ROR CE Metres ay rca ut! LORE ORES CIE Rogan tomn NTR Vere Otte (Caribbean) and East Indies (Indian Ocean), Caen Rann tote nc || By Aaronne Colagrossi‘The etymology of the word ‘pirate’ comes from the sient Greek word Peiran, ae whi means ‘to attack’. Basically, the task of a pirate “is to/plunder, board, steal and © kill. 17th-century chronicles “considered a pirate a Hostis ini Generis: an enemy ~ of mankind (the locution ___ ofiginally belonged to Flavius | ~~ Eutropius, Roman historian, who dedicated this epitaph of infamy to the emperor Lucius. “Antoninus Commodus, son of Marcus Aurelius). The word corsair also has very ancient origins, from the Latin Cursus, the language of the ancient _ Romans. In medieval Latin the word evolved into Cursarium. ‘In both cases the word means in context ‘tolrun on the seas __- for brigandage’ The word io filibuster, however, seems to - hy derive from the Dutch Vrij Buiter, or.English Flyboat, a type of boat, later evolved into Freebooter and then in French Flibustier and Italian filibustiere. THE TREATY OF TORDESILLAS > The modern history of piracy on the oceans can most likely ~~be pinned to a particular year, 11494, although this is debated ___ by many historians. The Treaty Of Tordesillas was signed in Castile on June 7, 1494. It up divided the world out 285 Europe into an exclusive iuopoly between-the Spanish Empire and the Portuguese ls Empire along the north-south meridian, 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands (off the coast of Senegal, West Africa), corresponding to approximately 46° 37’ W. The lands to the east of this fine would belong toPortugal and those to the west to Spain. This meridian was called raya. The treaty was ratified by Spain on July 2 and by Portugal on September 5,1494, In May 1493, Pope Alexander VI, a Spaniard by birth, decreed in the seal Inter Caetera that all lands west of a meridian ‘only 100 leagues from the Cape Verde Islands would belong to Spain, while the new lands discovered east of that line would belong to Portugal, although the territories already under Christian rule would remain intact. Of course King John Il of Portugal was not happy about this, and ‘opened negotiations with King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen isabella of Castile to move the line further west, arguing that the mer would extend around the entire ing Spanish control While on the European seas privateers andI Wen Xaymaca. pirates plundered Spain and Mediterranean waters, other English sea rovers attempted to establish colonies in the New World. Most of the early efforts proved unsuccessful. However, Barbados, St. Christopher, Nevis, Antigua, and Montserrat were upwind of many other Spanish Caribbean settlements. Two decades later the British and French actively cooperated in the Caribbean against the Spanish, especially in the colonies of Port Royal in Jamaica and Cayona in Tortuga. PORT ROYAL: SODOM OF THE NEW WORLD Jamaica is the pear! of the Caribbean Sea, being one of the largest islands of the West Indies, or Antilles. The name comes from the indigenous Taino people, almost exterminated by the Spaniards, who in their Arawak language called the large island: Christopher Columbus came upon the island in 1494 and later it was claimed as a Spanish colony. In 1655, Admiral William Penn wrestled the island from the Iberians by force. In the large natural bay, rose the English settlement of Port Royal. If ever there was a city of sin in the 17th century, it was undoubtedly Port Royal, Chronicles from the second half of the 17th century called this city the ‘Sodom of the New World’. It was widely believed in Europe that Port Royal was a stronghold of rogues, prostitutes, pederasts, and bandits. As they liked to say in London: “The power of a Governor in Jamaica is as thin as parchment and just as fragile.” By 1666 the governor Sir Thomas Modyford (first Baronet by appointment of King Charles Il of England) was mainly in charge of trade relations with Europe, in = SSS Captain Morgan entering Port Royal William Gilkerson It was widely 3s believed in Europe fortune: siving particular regarding sugar cane, which was abundant in Jamaica. Furthermore, the Governor, under the tacit consent of the king, provided Patents of Race, or Letters of Marque, to captains of them license that Port Royal was to attack the a stronghold of rogues, prostitutes, pederasts, and bandits. Spaniards. However, both Modyford and ‘the French governor of Tortuga (Bertrand D’Ogeron de La Bouére), would never openly admit the existence of piracy in their domains: “There are 1no pirates in the West Indies but only false corsairs of the crown.” In this geopolitical framework England and France were allies, in fact Charles Il and Louis XIV were cousins. They joined forces to plunder the Spanish territories, but over the years this erupted into Is, massacres, unspeakable violence, slavery, devastation, epidemics, and the destruction, 1of many colonies. At the royal courts of Charles Il and Louis XIV, gruesome anecdotes of the pirates’ depravity and lawlessness, strictly true, caused a scandal. From time to time, the sovereigns simply condemned some of these freebooters to death on the charge of piracy. The hangings served only to appease the Spanish ambassadors in France and England, or to silence them until the next expedition by the buccaneers of the Americas. AN ABOMINABLE DEMOCRACY Port Royal was a refuge for English pirates, French freebooters, buccaneers from Hispaniola, former Dutch soldiers, Germans, Scandinavian sailors, Italian fugitives (especially from the Kingdom of Naples), Spanish deserters, the Portuguese, slave traders, indigenous Tainos who joined the ranks of captains of fortune, freed African slaves, and prostitutes who escaped or were specially imported from Europe to encourage heterosexual relationships at the expense of homosexual ones - which were quite frequent both on land and at sea. The freebooters who returned from expeditions at sea were capable of spending everything they had plundered in a single night, drinking. and eating until they collapsed, or paying top dollar to prostitutes, often more than one, or to young men to be sodomized. There was one tavern for every 10 men on High Street. But the naval In the eyes of Louis XIV and Charles II, the first reason for West Indies was the fact that the freebooters gave the Spaniards and the Dutch a hard time, but at their courts they themselves preferred to avoid discussing the ‘Question of the Filibusta’ - especially when the expeditions did not achieve the desired success, in economic terms of course. The economic side was Port ova approval of piracy fo cSrsonting a administered in the West Indies piracy, indeed one Hepa was the fact that the _ might dare to cal it Tortugalsland, _freebooters gave the wemeinfomentel administered Spaniards and the inthe caribbean. primarily by France (and nominally also by the French West India Company, seemingly powerless to pirate power), lay precisely in their multi-ethnic composition, what Europeans called ‘Abominable democracy.’ This was particularly applicable on board the ships of the Brethren of the Coast, where there were very strict rules on the division of spoils, on the percentages to be gifted to the governor, granted to the captain, to the helmsman, and to those who were wounded or mutilated during battle. In the eyes of Louis XIV and Charles Il, the first reason for approval of piracy in the Dutch a hard time. The freebooters plundered tons of gold, valuables, and various goods that, miraculously, reappeared in London and Paris after several months, to the great disapproval and nervousness of the Spanish ambassadors, who could do nothing but complain to the kings Charles and Louis. By the 1680s A. piracy began x to decline from the public stage, although shipments were still organized unofficially, with the risk of the noose, given the new anti-piracy laws.A CATACLYSM IN PORT ROYAL However, a specter appeared on the horizon. On June 7, 1692, Jamaica was struck by a violent and devastating earthquake. Port Royal was almost completely destroyed by a tidal wave of biblical proportions. The entire port city was built ona sandbank, known as Tombolo, or Palisadoes, in ancient Portuguese, and this bedrock literally liquefied. The chronicles tell of three tsunami waves in succession that, combined with the liquefaction, caused much of the city to sink. Death and destruction took possession of those lands; ‘ almost 3,000 people perished in the cataclysm, followed by epidemics due to the hundreds of decomposing corpses under the rubble. The diseases killed, itis estimated, another 2,000 people. The Act of God was invoked by Europe. The Almighty had destroyed the Sodom of the New World, raged the Church of Rome, stolidly supported by ‘the European states. But Port Royal was not the only pirate fortress. Amap of Port Royal, Jamaica, Credit: Sharon(Old map of Port Royal: Light section at top and going down toward ‘the right is the part of the city lost in the 1692 earthquake; slightly shaded middle section, the part ofthe city that was flooded; darkly shaded bottom section isthe partof the city that survived. Public domain $ ees eet TORTUGA: STRONGHOLD OF half of the 17th century, extremely violent, immediateh LAVASSEUR jehen|a| conch expeauon ordered the construction of pore DY oes te alana a fort, Fort De Rocher, which Tortuga Island, a true natural from the Iberians. The Spanish Sow wterjtne bar ard mseaal stronghold, was named by tried several times toretake arbor This bay wes located ea eeceae oad the island, now inhabited on the southern side of the poe emmeroereas hi by the French, English, and island, since the northern turtle; the French called it fle mountain hunters from nearby Sige or rocky nmectone and Tortue. The Genoese navigator Hispaniola, but at this point it fugeed nature, did not allow for discovered it in 1492 whilehe as too late, was circumnavigating the large settlements, let alone landings. island of Hispaniola. Columbus French engineer, Jean La The approach to the town saw only the island's high Vasseur, who in 1640 reached oF Cayona was only possible mountains in the light of the Hlortuga together with] 150) through two natural coral dawn, poking out of the fog Frenchmen, gave a new channels, about 300 yards like the back of a turtle. political dispensation to the wide, which opened in a “V” shape toward the open sea, at an angle of about 120 degrees. The lay of the land island, La Vasseur, who with his austere, iron character, could sometimes become Tortuga was colonized by a few Spaniards until the firstwas perfect for the colony, soon attracting buccaneers and bandits of all nationalities, all intent on plundering the Spaniards and draining the coffers of the viceroys of Spain: the Brethren of the Coast was born. La Vasseur gave orders to build the garrison on a steep slope, on the living rock, at a height of about 240 feet above sea level. The inner courtyard contained a natural spring, which was another reason for his choice of location. The presence of water allowed months of resistance in case of besiegement. The star-shaped towers, typical of European architecture of the time, dominated the east and west sides of the garrison. Fort De Rocher was equipped with 24 cannons and the area on either side of the garrison was cleared of trees, so the defenders would have a 180-degree view of the bay. Access to the garrison was possible only bya path carved into the rock - a real impregnable stronghold. Jean La Vasseur was nominated governor, even if many were convinced that he had already received the assignment Europe before leaving for the colony of the New World. The tyrant was killed in 1653 by two of his lieutenants, outraged by the fact that the governor had kidnapped their women and segregated them in his lodgings in the dovecote of the fort, where he subjected them to every type of violence - sexual, physical, and moral. One of ‘the women lured the governor into the warehouses and shot him point-blank with a musket. Immediately the two lieutenants arrived and finished the man off with daggers, like the conspirators of ancient Rome. Jean Le Vasseur ult Fort de Rocher.THE FATE OF TORTUGA The Spanish meanwhile tried to retake Tortuga four times, without success. By 1665, the island was governed by Bertrand D’Ogeron de La Bouére, a French ex-military man. The nascent French West India Company made their base on the island along with the new governor, however the Brethren of the Coast did not allow the Company to exert full power. Initially, the new French governance tried to suppress the privateering activity of the islanders, obtaining exactly the opposite effect. Buccaneers and freebooters knew the rocky island inside out, disappearing for months on end, boarding ships and plundering Spanish vessels along the coast, only to return to Tortuga like ghosts. Among these pirates were illustrious cutthroats and criminals, men like Olonese, Michael the Basque, Bartolomeu the Portuguese, Edward Mansfield, and Henry Morgan, who, following a quarrel with D’Ogeron, moved to Port Royal. They were sea Buccaneers and freebooters knew the rocky island inside out, disappearing for months on end, the consent of Louis XIV) favored the activity of the filibusta, by bestowing false Patenti da Corsa, in agreement with the governor Modyford of Port Royal to the pirates. In rovers who i i this way, the professed their boarding ships and wa freedom by lunderi two governors plundering complied with cannon, pistol, and sword; bandits with whom it was impossible to bargait the stakes were composed of possible hundreds of thousands of silver pieces of eight. The pirates were clamoring for their booty. In an intelligent move, D’Ogeron (with Spanish vessels along the coast, only to return to Tortuga like ghosts. the requests of their respective rulers: to harm the Spanish and increase the money in the coffers of the kings of England and France. And the pirates benefitted all the way, until their luck changed... 47ince humankind has been able to build rafts, barques, boats, and ships they've crossed oceans to raid, conquer, and settle in distant lands. In the early history of maritime Dr ea Rrra coastlines, raiding fishing villages, but as their vessels SRT ec Om Oe a sea, and those who saw an opportunity to attack other vessels, purely for profit and adventure, were the pirates. The etymology of the word "piracy" can be traced to the ancient Greek reipiopa, or “peiréomai" - in broad terms meaning an attempt to rob for personal gain. Homer in the Hliad and Odyssey tells of Achaean raids, especially those of Achilles and Cerne ts cect cee a enc OM One en Cen Moe en eRe RO Con Rec See ese COL Ore eID ee even ee ri ene ae Sea Peoples raid Mediterranean and Levantine coasts, Pharaohs Akhenaten and Ramesses I also reported on pirates. cen Teuta in Illyria on the Balkan Sca issues letters of marque to privateers, ¥ a . authorizing them to plunder. As Athens built the port of Piraeus to protect it against raiders, Rome built Ostia and waged a war on the Mediterranean pirates. Julius Caesar was captured. Pompey the Great defeated the Gilician pirates. Age of the Viking pirates from Scandinavia who raided the British Isles, Greenland, eee Se Pea ee Sete RCE CeTCE Cen SSeS TTTE Golden Age of Piracy in the Caribbean - Spanish, French, and English privateers Eocene nets An earthquake and tsunamis destroy Port Royal ~a pirate stronghold in Jamaica, Ee On ee eT kee ee DONC Cee eee GD Tree meee te eras oe ce ECR re PSECU eR Te Oca eee ree COLON ONT UNECE SC ERR sete el teetety Life of the Chinese pirate Zheng Yi (and his widow Zheng S ‘commanding 40,000 pirates and 400 ships. in South China Sea, Piracy was eliminated in Central America and in Asian waters. The Piracy Act 1850 of the United Kingdom was promulgated. Pirates were declared fostis humani generis (enemy of all mankind). Emergence of organized Somali piracy around Gulf of Aden. Almost 5,000 incidents Ceca eA noc ere ROL OPCs- and SAVE (CCM P Beem crt rot 29.99a SCL LTA aes eso eee Rueda} ee oa Cae oe) executed prisoners. ees Recut eeu a ene Uc) poe ee Mua eee Castel Sant'Angelo Secs Dee ee) CTE Cie tro Couch Tn) Pe Rd urn tl Seer ey een Sa Retna Crees© THERERLITY n June 1995, Mark Summers and John Baur were playing racquetball in Oregon, in the United States, when they spontaneously began to use pirate slang. Arr! Matey! Shiver me timbers! Ahoy! Amidst laughter, they decided it would be entertaining if there were a special day every year where they could talk and act like pirates, choosing the birth date of Summers's ex- wife (Blimey!) After celebrating among friends every year on September 19th, they made contact with the Pulitzer prize- winning comic columnist Dave Barry to ask if he would become the official spokesperson for the event. His publication of a column introducing the event in the Miami Herald triggered its effective launch around the world, and International Talk Like a Pirate Day was born - with events filled with pirate talk, pirate costumes, and pirate parties galore. But, how much of what we think we know about pirates is actually true? Not much! Pirates are basically sea robbers, and have existed under different names and guises for over 3,000 years, from the Sea Peoples who assaulted ancient Egypt, Illyrian pirates, Vikings, and the Cilician pirates of the ancient world. The pirates entrenched in popular imagination are far more recent, appearing from the 46th century onwards as colonial expansion created a boom of valuable, and vulnerable, sea traffic carrying goods, such as gold, spices, slaves, and more, along established trade routes including those in West Africa, ‘the Indian Ocean, and the Caribbean. \Our image of the adventurous pirate lifestyle has far more to do with fictional Hollywood representations than with reality. or PIRATE LIFE BY GEGILIA BOGRARD ur image of the adventurous pirate lifestyle has far more to do with fictional Hollywood representations than with reality. This is partly due to a lack of first-person archival evidence and accounts, and a plethora of sources from the realms of fantasy. Robert Louis Stevenson's famed Treasure Island in particular, published in 1883, and its 1950 Disney adaptation starring Robert Newton as Long John Silver, captured the imagination of millions. The Treasure Island film in particular introduced several “Xgy crucial concepts which are now firmly ingrained in our subconscious, such as the idea of buried treasure, a drawling West Country accent, pirate clothing, and the parrot pirate companion. Many of these, misleading aspects have then been repeated in subsequent productions including Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan and Black Sails.Qe vms AT SEA (9 In reality, life for pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy was incredibly harsh and precarious, resulting in a short life expectancy. It was, however, the best option for many during an era known for its equally punishing and dangerous conditions. Life for a pirate was filled with hazards, and this included the ships themselves. Aeronne Colagrossi described the reality of a 17th century pirate ship in an Ancient Origins article, as “a giant floating explosive box.” Built of wood, cordage, and linen, waterproofed with flammable pitch, tar, and seed oil, pirate ships were filled with wood and wooden barrels. Add to that the fact that pirates were really into their weapons - anything from a blunderbuss, or short sword, and don’t forget cannons, rifles, and va pistols - meant that ships were filled with enormous amounts of gunpowder. Pirate , . \ ships definitely would not have passed . pw any modern-day fire safety inspection. "ea The raison d’etre of any pirate was, and to attack and steal at sea, which meant that their lives have been interspersed with fights and battles. This added to their likelihood of dying young, especially since most pirate ships didn’t have the | luxury of a doctor or surgeon on board, 80 any injuries could quickly get infected i and lead to death. Pirates usually couldn't sail into ports and harbors, meaning they couldn't visit any doctors 3) on land and they had to remain at sea during B terrible storms, which could be treacherous ROLES ON A SHIP Pirate rules clearly explained the roles and duties of all members of the crew. Captains usually received a double shareof any loot, in exchange for bearing the brunt of cruelty if they were captured. After being hanged, the body of Captain Kidd was covered in tar and placed in a cage positioned by the River Thames for years in the hope of deterring other pirates. While the quartermaster was the captain's right-hand man, in charge of supplies and important decisions such as choosing what exactly to plunder during a raid, the sailing master was a fundamental position which required a deep understanding of navigation. Often when a ship was stolen the sailing master was kidnapped and any sailing charts, confiscated to ensure smooth sailing. It’s important to remember that these were different times. Gunners were a must on a pirate ship, They needed to have had years of experience and they had to be strong enough to manage the cannons on board. Keep in mind that each cannon was manned by several gunners, depending on its size, and any mistakes could cause devastation. Then came the boatswain who were in charge of maintenance on board, while the cooper had to keep There is only one recorded case of pirates forcing a foe to walk the plank. Who shall be captain’ (1911) by Howard Pyle “Xgy wooden storage barrels in check, which was fundamental as they stored food and water on board, Believe it or not, but carpenters were also crucial to keep pirate ships working, and they were tasked with fixing holes and repairing damage to the wooden vessel in pretty rough conditions and often without the proper supplies. In liew of a surgeon, the carpenter was also useful when amputations were needed. To alleviate the tedium of a long voyage, musicians were often forced to join to keep the pirates entertained. For everyone ona pirate ship, their rights were clear wher came to sharing any bounty, as well as for “insurance” payouts for those injured, and incentives for fighting fiercely during battle, such as for b the first to detach the enemy flag. Despite their clearly defined roles and democratic tendencies, pirates, especially the lower ranking ones, tended to survive only a couple of years and were) often viewed as expendable. Pirates in Jamaica and Tortuga Public domain 5‘So the Treasure was Divided’ (1905) by Howard Pyle. Public domain were sent to dispatch men ahead of invasions to test the waters. In English they were known as Forlorn Hopes, while in French they were Les Enfants Perdus. HARSH PUNISHMENTS Punishments were also incredibly harsh, and included flogging or even being marooned on an island with no provisions. Although frequently included in pirate movies, Grunge argued that there is only one recorded case of pirates forcing a foe to walk the plank. Keelhauling was far more popular and involved being tied to a rope and dragged under the ship. Those unfortunate to receive this punishment would either bleed out or drown. Gibbeting was also used by the English against pirates of other nationalities or against disobedient pirates. Here the body was placed in a narrow cage, and the person would die by starvation, thirst and exposure, while his skin wounds would become infected, HYGIENE AND HUNGER CHALLENGES Being trapped on the water for long stretches and unable to anchor at most ports, life on a pirate ship was ae Being trapped on the eng offen water for long stretches boring. and unable to anchor Apart from : é at most ports, life on a the captain, 2 7 pane arihel pirate ship was crew slept in uncomfortable and hammocks, often boring, and the smell of so many men at close quarters, without access to proper cleaning and limited fresh water must have been quite overpowering. When it came to lavatory facilities, some ships offered private chamber pots for the elite, while others had a form of toilet platform with holes down into the ocean on either side of the bow. Pirates notoriously suffered from diet-related illnesses such as dehydration, alcoholism, starvation, scurvy, and dysentery. After months at sea, food simply ran out. What food there was would rot due to lack of refrigeration or dry storage conditions, or was pretty unpalatable, and comprised of salted and cured meat, fermented veggies, and weevil-infested sea biscuits. Pirates became experts in alternative sources of protein, such as turtle meat, which was easily found on beaches and could be kept alive. Hunger was a deep- seated motivation for certain raids. Smithsonian Magazine reported that Henry Morganinvaded Puerto del Principe in Cuba in 1668 and demanded 500 cattle. Salmigondis was a favorite item on the pirate menu, a stew made of bits of any assortment of meat, often salted, mixed with vegetables and highly seasoned to cover up the taste. Pirates were very much aware of the importance of diet in order to avoid getting sick, Bizarre as it may sound, although surrounded by water there was a striking lack of fresh water. This was the reason for why pirates drank so much alcohol, as it wouldn't go stale. Rum and beer were particular favorites. Lime was often mixed with rum in an attempt to prevent scurvy, while grog was popular and was made by watering down rum and adding cinnamon or other spices. CREATING THE “TYPICAL” PIRATE While most Popular representations of pirates depict a rather ragged crew of similarly clothed, and mostly white, individuals, pirate crews were surprisingly multiethnic, as well as racially and religiously diverse. Excavations at Sam Bellamy’s Whydah shipwreck off the coast of Cape Cod uncovered valuables from over 50 other ships sourced from four continents. The American pirate historian Ken Kinkor went so far as to state that the “deck of a pirate ship was the most ‘empowering place there was for a black man during the 18th century.” Ata time of rampant slavery, black pirates oftentimes had been liberated from slave ships or from raids on land, and found themselves with the right to vote, have a weapon, and able to a share in the booty. While there is little evidence to tell us how pirates dressed, they probably looked much like sailors from wherever they were originally from. Since they were from all over, this covered a variety of styles. The typical appearance associated with pirates these days has been linked to Howard Pyle, an American artist, who was inspired by portrayals of 19th century Spanish bandits. Notwithstanding, some captains have gone down in history for their eye-catching dress styles, such as Blackbeard, who was said to have used ribbons in his beard and fuses under his hat in order to make an impression. Tales of accessories such as earrings, eye patches, and wooden legs may be more authentic. Earrings were believed to help prevent sea sickness, eye patches helped keep one eye “dark-adapted” - which was useful during a battle when a pirate needed to move around quickly, and amputations were pretty common at sea. Among the standard conception of pirates is the frequent use of the Jolly Roger on flags and clothing, however the idea that all pirates flew the same flag is patently false. Faced with a long time at sea, many opted to get a pet to provide company. The idea of a parrot perched on a pirate shoulder isn’t actually far off the mark. Pirates preferred pets in the guise of cats (useful for catching rats), monkeys, or parrots, which did not require much in the way of food, were entertaining, and could even be sold off for a pretty penny on returning back home. TREASURE WAS USUALLY SPENT, NOT SAVED Finally, the idea of pirates burying treasure is more fantasy than fact. As Grunge highlighted “the scurvy sea-outlaw life carried the risk of death behind every wave, soit made absolutely no sense to bury your booty and go back for it later.” There are actually only a couple of documented cases of pirates burying treasure, one being Francis Drake and the other Captain Kidd. The idea was however part of the Louis Stevenson 1883 novel, and thus the myth was born. The precariousness of a pirate life meant that they were far more likely to spend their wealth ‘on gambling, prostitutes, and more rum at pirate safe havens such as Port Royal, instead of burying their treasure. The lure of freedom on the high seas, adventure, and wealth was often too strong to resist, despite the Ni risks.O ae Jee Ce yy Private and Treasures of the’ TB pra erie meri NakeTLD RNS Teo Ton! the 1650s to the 1730s, did not POS meetin ta rec of the Caribbean in the Atlantic Pere eRe Read of the Indian Ocean. By the end ~ of the 17th century several factors fluenced the fate of the pirates. Skeets cs CEVA AGrer Steen) otic eco ey Poet Sn Ceteoret i ao Crate ste oe Baa star ton OAC “ae by turbulence: ie Nine Years War (1688-1697) GMs torent pire, the Dutch Republic, ae cI eLd Pee eee 1697, but all states suffered severe x AI Red Greece etre nes Oana cee nyg the childless Charles IT, in 1700; EMR a eee! a Frou VERE MT OV Crem CKO TtC Anne, in 1702. By this time British and Spanish navies began seriously harassing the domination of the pirates in the Caribbean and the pirates decided to move their exploits to the lucrative Indian Ocean. ae beret Cs \ ea Peitieo sree ecg teryTHE PIRATE ROUND Even before the earthquake of Port Royal, pirates had boldly pioneered the route which became known as the Pirate Round to the Indian Ocean. The course of the Pirate Round ran from the Caribbean south- by-southeast along the west coast of Africa, round the Cape of Good Hope, through the Mozambique Channel, to northern Madagascar, where the pirates would replenish their supplies. From Madagascar they would disperse to the various Indian Ocean islands. About 540 miles north-west from Madagascar lie the island group of the Comoros; about 700 miles east of Madagascar lie what was known as the Mascarene islands (modern-day Mauritius, Réunion, and Rodrigues) and about 1,000 miles north of Mauritius lie the Seychelles. Colonialization of these islands was in its infancy, with no effective militia to control or oppose piracy. It was a general policy on the islands to tolerate pirates rather than engage with them and pray that they would depart soon, without causing too much havoc. The pirates preyed on the East Indiamen, laden with exotic g00ds from India as well as the affluent Muslim seafarers on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. Their ships crisscrossed the routes to the Malabar coast, the Red Sea, and the Persian coast. PIONEER PIRATES OF THE MASCARENES: It is estimated there were about 1,000 pirates operating in the Indian Ocean at the end of the 17th century. By 1685 the pirates had set up base in Madagascar. Henry Every was one of the first of the Caribbean pirates to have rounded the Cape of Good Hope to Madagascar, where he settled and soon became known as the “King of Madagascar”. By 1695, he joined other pirates, including the famous Thomas Tew, and captured the Fateh Mohammed on a pilgrimage voyage. Thomas Tew was decapitated during the boarding of this ship. A few days later, the pirates spotted the Ganji-i- Sawai, the prize of the Mughal Emperor Auraungzeb’s fleet. Despite its 40 guns, the pirates managed to outmaneuver Captain Muhammed Ibrahaim and boarded the vessel. A treasure worth US $3.3 million in gold, silver, and precious stones awaited them, as well as ‘a Mughal princess, whom Every married. Every and the princess later returned to the Caribbean. Unlike most pirates who were British born, John Bowen was born in Bermuda in 1660. He was captain of a ship in the West- Indies that was captured by French pirates, whom he decided to join. Bowen was shipwrecked in Madagascar, where he was rescued by the pirate George Booth. On April 16, 1701 they spotted the Speaker, a 40-ton English slave ship, that was a former French man-of-war. The Speaker was no match against the pirates’ combined forces and Captain Eastlake had no choice but to surrender the ship. The pirate flotilla set off for Zanzibar, where Booth was killed in a brawl in a bar. The crew voted Bowen as their new captain. Bowen and his crew captured two Arab ships, as well as the Borneo and the Nathaniel within months. Itis estimated there were about 1,000 pirates operating in the Indian Ocean at the end of the 17th century. However, on January 7, 1702 the Speaker was caught in a violent storm off the south-east coast of Mauritius, then under Dutch rule, and crashed into the reefs of the Grand Rivier Sud Est, but most of, the crew, prisoners, and slaves survived. The cannon of the Speaker is currently displayed in the Mahebourg Naval Museum in Mauritius. The Governor of Mauritius, Roelof Diodati sold the Viiegende Hart to Bowen, who sailed for neighboring French, lle Bourbon (Reunion) in March 1702, leaving behind 30 Arab and 12 English prisoners.Re Tso sR gon eS SSBowen took a Portuguese vessel and sailed for Madagascar, where the Speedy Return and the Content made the unfortunate mistake of anchoring opposite Bowen's camp. As soon as their captains and crew went ashore, Bowen and his men overpowered the rest of the crew on board the two ships and relieved them of their bounty and provisions of tobacco, flour, beer, and weapons. They sailed to lle Bourbon (Réunion) where they disposed of the loot. Bowen made a trip to Mauritius’ Noord- western Haven ~ currently the capital of Port Louis - and then returned to Madagascar. In Madagascar he joined forces with an old comrade, Thomas Howard, and in 1703 they captured the East Indiaman Pembroke and other Arab vessels, consisting of a considerable booty. By February 1704 Bowen was back in Mauritius at the port of Frederick Hendrik, where the ruins of the Dutch fort still stand. Governor Van der Velde had no power to object to Bowen and his hundred pirates’ stay on the island, Although Bowen paid for any provisions his men might have required, Van der Velde was relieved to see him sail for lle Bourbon on April 5. Here Bowen and most of his pirates decided to retire from piracy and become settlers. John Bowen died about a year later on March 17, 1705. DECLINING THE KING'S PARDON Olivier Le Vasseur, also called ‘La Buse’ (the Buzzard) must be one of the most famous of the Mascarene pirates. Born in Calais around 1680, Olivier was the son of a corsair, Paul Le Vasseur, who taught him the art of navigation. Originally a privateer for King Louis XIV, his navigation skills came in handy 62 one enh ate ere eee ener en te eae iets as he joined the brotherhood of Captain Benjamin Hornigold, Edward Teach (Blackbeard), and ‘Samuel Bellamy in the Caribbean in 1716. However, shortly after, when Commodore Woodes Rogers arrived to offer “the Kings Pardon’ to the pirates in 1718, Benjamin Hornigold accepted, but Le Vasseur and Edward England, an Irish-born pirate, were among the pirates who ‘respectfully declined’ and they set off for the ‘African west coast on their way to the Mascarenes. Edward England captured 10 ships as prizes along the coast of Africa. Sailing in the same waters was pirate John/ Richard Taylor. It was only natural for the pirates to find each other in Madagascar on the west coast islet of Ile Sainte Marie (today Nosy Boraha). Le Vasseur’s Indian Queen was wrecked at Mayotte. Le Vasseur found himself stranded on the island of Anjouan in the Comoros, where he was rescued by Taylor. THE LARGEST TREASURE In 1720, a pack of pirates consisting of Le Vasseur, Taylor, England, and Jasper Seagar in the Victory and the Fancy set sail for the Malabar Coast. In the waters of the Comoros they encountered the Cassandra, whose Captain Macrae put up such resistance that 90 pirates were killed in the ensuing battle. Though Taylor wanted to execute Macrae, Edward England prohibited it and offered the badly damaged Fancy to Macrae. Seagar took command ofthe Cassandra. Taylor, Le Vasseur, and Seagar despised England for his generosity and mercy. Upon their return, Taylor, Seagar, and Le Vasseur marooned Edward England and four sailors on lle de France (Mauritius). The Dutch had colonized Mauritius from 1598 to 1710, when they abandoned it due to cyclones, disease, and food shortage. For a period of five years, the island was only inhabited by run-away slaves, who harried the crews of the ships in the harbors seeking water and food. in 1715, the French East India Company claimed the island in the name of France and called in lle de France = it was only 141 miles from the French owned Ile Bourbon. The first French settlers arrived by the end of 1721 on lle de France. Therefore, Edward England and his marooned sailors had to build their ‘own little boat, and it took them four months to escape from the virtually uninhabited Mauritius to Madagascar. After a successful season, Le Vasseur, Seagar, and Taylor returned to lle de France in 1721 to repair their ships and replenish supplies. They carved the inscription: “Left this place 4 April to go to Madagascar” on a tree. However, they did not go to Madagascar, but aboard the Victory and the Defence, they arrived at Ile Bourbon on April 8, 1721. Immense luck was on their side, for anchored in the harbor was the Nossa Senhora do Cabo, which had given passage to the Bishop of Goa and the retiring 63City garden in front of docks with ships in Port Louis, capital city of Mauritius. Mannaggia / Adobe Stock Portuguese Viceroy on their way onboard the ship. To the pirates to Portugal. The Nossa Senhora Do _ it was literally as easy as ‘taking Cabo had been badly damaged in _candy from a baby’. Legend has it a cyclone. The treasures of gold, _that the Count of Ericeira offered silver, pearls, diamonds, ebony, his diamond and emerald studded and the famed solid gold cross of -—_ sword to Taylor in exchange the Archbishop of Goa studded for his life, but so rich were the with rubies, were not transported takings on board that Taylor to the safety of the island, but left declined the offer. The count kept his life and his sword. Le Vasseur took command of the Nossa Senhora do voyage to their haunt at Ile Sainte Marie, off the coast of Madagascar, Seagar died. The pirates shared the loot, and the treasure is calculated to be worth US $1,5 million today. Le Vasseur kept the famous solid gold cross. Le Vasseur renamed the Nossa Senhora do Cabo to Victoriewz and continued his partnership with Taylor. They captured the French Duchesse de Noailles, but after an argument broke out between the two captains, Taylor returned to the Caribbean and Le Vasseur remained at lle Sainte Marie. In 1724 the governor of lle Bourbon offered amnesty to all pirates, but Le Vasseur declined for he refused to return his booty. In 1730 the governor ordered Captain LHermitte of the Meduse to flush Le Vasseur out of Ile Sainte Marie. Le Vasseur for a time hid in the Seychelles but when he made the mistake of returning to Madagascar, he was captured and brought to Ile Bourbon on April 26, 1730. He was put to trial, found guilty, and hanged on July 7, 1730. Before he died, Le Vasseur threw acryptogram into the crowd, inviting anyone who could decipher it to find his treasure. AGE OF GENTLEMAN PRIVATEERS ON ILE DE FRANCE After the heyday of pirates enjoying the freedom of anarchic lle de France, privateers were appointed by the French government and operated from ‘the island under French rule. In 1735 Bertrand Francois Mahé, Compte de Labourdonnais, himself a privateer, was appointed as governor. It was under Labourdonnais’ governorship that lle de France flourished. He moved the capital from Fort Frederick Hendrik on the east coast to Port Louis on the west coast and set up a boat building yard. Labourdonnais endeavored to create a naval base for the privateers to attack British vessels and to attract merchant ships The harbor at Port Louis became a ‘forest of masts’. In 1767 The French East India Company sold the island L Sow Sole sas aif et Fe Bip sexfpedins wstecmomaps op Se pateteca tee ce Sip ue PERS ee eer tl Mig top ler ip aoa Sle teats Be eg aarored oe, ey SSSR oS Ulta Raewpeneed Sees bce earn PPro et’ a oA piarkowty , Senin Siew dann Bie fae sister pavicag ans re Fo ples aitecseme Dae oe ets gone Letter of Marque. Public domain Louis over 100 illegal houses sold brandy to thirsty sailors and pirates and by 1786 American ships flooded Port Louis to buy to the French In 1772 in the capital _ oriental goods. government: The, Port Louis over 100.6 one ofthe most i ve apt of illegal houses sold well-known Maen era 3 brandy to thirsty 9 privateers was 29 privateering expeditions from 179 to 1782. There were about 100 privateers based in lle de France at this time, who captured 2,226 English vessels and brought the loot home to the island. The pile-up of pirate plunder gave rise to an affluent merchant class on Ile de France. In 1772 in the capital Port sailors and pirates and by 1786 American ships flooded Port Louis to buy oriental goods. Robert Surcouf, born in France in 1773, who stepped ashore on lle de France in 1789, Initially a slave-trader, Surcouf captured several British vessels, including the Triton. However, since he did not possess a Lettre de Marque, his loot was confiscated. He appealed in France and managed to have the verdict reversed. In 1798 he 65, Seine celipte races nets B guest st ee dyed me be forge ncn acer earssecured his Lettre de Marque and Surcouf returned to lle de France in February 1800 with several prizes and bought the Confiance, with which he captured the Kent in the Bay of Bengal, considered one of the finest prizes captured by a privateer in the Indian Ocean. ‘Along with his father: law, French shipwright De Maisonneuve in France, Surcouf designed super-fast Revenant and he hunted the Bay of Bengal, bringing several prizes and riches to lle de France, where he was welcomed as a hero. Surcouf incurred the wrath of Governor Decaen of the lle of France and eventually decided to return to his native Brittany. Surcouf had by then captured no less than 47 ships. Decaen confiscated Sufcouf’s assets on lle de France, however Surcouf managed to have this order revoked as well. During the Bourbon restoration Governor Decaen was imprisoned in France for being an ally of Napoleon, but it was his erstwhile enemy, Surcouf, who managed to secure Decaen's release from prison and they became friends. MAURITIAN TREASURE LAW According to historical documents and legends a vast pirate treasure reportedly worth more than US $23,000,000, was buried in a cave somewhere on lle de France (Mauritius) in the 18th century. There are several contenders for the original owner of this treasure. It could have belonged to Henry Every, John 66. A vast pirate treasure reportedly worth more than US $123,000,000, was buried in a cave somewhere on Ile de France (Mauritius) in the 18th century. Bowen, Olivier La Vasseur, or even Robert Surcouf. it has sparked the interest of treasure hunters Traces of pirates’ presence are found all over the island in the form of cannon balls, musket balls, old bottles of rum, as well as intriguing markings. Near the fishing village of Poudre D’Or the outline of a ship has been found carved on a volcanic rock on the shore, and an inscription: “jen Bow ne de paccu” was found on another rock. Unfortunately, in their eagerness, treasure hunters have used dynamite and damaged the island’s natural ecosystems to such an extent that in the early 20th century the government of the Republic of Mauritius instituted legislation forbidding anyone from directly benefiting from any treasure hunting venture. These laws imply that if a treasure hunter was to find something that they went actively looking for, they would automatically forfeit the right to benefit in any way from its discovery. However, if one happens to be fishing on a beach and lost a lead weight and was to use a metal detector to look for it, and accidentally unearth pirate treasure, then according to Article 716 of the Mauritian Civil Code: “50% should go to the accidental discoverers and 50% to the Mauritian state.”Cee eran settee) pera cas artes In August 2028, the local Mauritius newspaper express reported that two Mauritian ecologists had been hiking in the east of Rodrigues - a 42-square- mile autonomous outer island of Mauritius - where ‘by pure chance’ they came upon a fabulous treasure, supposedly dating back about 300 years. They claimed that in August 2017, located at three huge mountain rocky areas, they photographed marks in rocks which they later realized were not natural, but chiseled signs. They returned to the remote site a year later and climbed into what is described as a rocky recess and took photos of what appeared to be “a rusty chest, a metal rod in the chest that had come off, remains of rope from a pulley system still visible, [and] a stone terminal placed vertically in front of the trunk”. Under the wooden chest, on the floor of the cave, their photographs showed a small unidentifiable red dot with what they thought was a chimera: a goat’s skull mounted on a yellow-gold body. Estimating the chest to be between 250 to 300 years old, they said it undoubtedly belonged to a pirate who had crossed the seas of Mauritius and Rodrigues who could have deposited his booty there in the hope of recovering it one day, marking the chimera as a treasure keeper. When this story broke in 2017 soldiers were guarding the site 24/7 and plans were made to have the unexcavated cave declared a UNESCO site of special historical significance. By 2022 there has been no news on the ‘treasure’ nor on the UNESCO protection of the site. m 67.ONitte Bourbon (French Réunion) an island located 141 miles from Mauritius, on July 7, 1730, according to Governor Dumas, Olivier Le Vasseur was hanged “naked in his shirt, a rope around his neck, in his hand a flaming torch of four pounds and there to say and declare in a loud and inteligible voice that wickedly and recklessly he has for several years pursued the trade of pirate for which he repents and asks pardon from God and from the king and from justice.” However, in an act of defiance just before being executed, Le Vasseur tore off a locket from his neck, witha secret cryptogram of 17 lines, and he threw it into the air shouting: “My treasure for he who can ante DILACTENJOreutnBoAVerivery 2URLETVFLVLIOVEVLUDLTSCLeTbeAry Cacvvervrerrviuenrercacriueccaere ULFOLECuLLAcvreLmevitisaviveruarzay JEVVEAVEr Ck Svs SLULCIDLCVAVeVReva / EMECLANLE VIF LILA CLUS WvLVErcEUX,, 118700 Ls< vFALevvagysTaoVBbUncEL MAKTLIMLUIL re TLL Fee UIrETIVEM EVIL FRACRAVVETLICSUAIICU TESLA MEE Ch + \ TIABLVN ATE MATICE RE LAC oCKVErcAr \ bacoinercaarpnavereruaarivenrer CLTEJULCSTEFU LOLI VIN BLEW arre TEACCLTF

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