Pirates have long played an integral role in people’s ideas of the history and heritage of the Caribbean, yet this heritage goes undefined. While academic scholarship on piracy has increased in...Show morePirates have long played an integral role in people’s ideas of the history and heritage of the Caribbean, yet this heritage goes undefined. While academic scholarship on piracy has increased in recent years, no investigation has yet been done on how piracy manifests as part of the heritage of the region. This paper is an attempt to examine this understudied area, and extend research on heritage in the Caribbean into a new direction. The concept of heritage as defined by Smith and Waterton in their essay ‘The Envy of the World?’ Intangible Heritage in England (2009) has provided the basis for the conceptualization of the heritage of piracy in this paper. They contend that all heritage is inherently intangible and that heritage is “the performance and negotiation of identity, values and a sense of place” (Smith and Waterton 2009, 292). By examining what form the heritage of pirates and piracy from the Golden Age (1650-1724) takes today, and how both Europeans and Americans, and Afro-Caribbeans view that heritage, this paper contends that pirates are absolutely part of the heritage of the Caribbean, and that pirate heritage manifests in both the modern romanticized idea of pirates portrayed in popular culture for European and Americans, and as part of the colonial legacy for Afro-Caribbeans. Moreover, while both of these groups do see pirates of the Golden Age as part of their heritage, the first embraces and celebrates it, whereas the second does not. This provides a clear example of the dissonance of all heritage, as described by Tunbridge and Ashworth (1996) and Smith and Waterton (2009); while heritage may be viewed as positive by one group, it will be viewed as negative by another.Show less
This thesis concerns the reflection of ancient Mediterranean piracy in textual evidence and the archaeological record. It also seeks why Mediterranean piracy occurred: which motives could have...Show moreThis thesis concerns the reflection of ancient Mediterranean piracy in textual evidence and the archaeological record. It also seeks why Mediterranean piracy occurred: which motives could have prompted people in the past to commit piratical activities? The central case-study in this thesis is concerned with the Illyrian pirates, operating in the Adriatic during Hellenistic times. First, the Illyrian pirates as they appear in the classical texts by Appian and Polybius are examined. The Illyrian pirates appear in these texts in relation to the Illyrian Wars. The texts provide us with two distinct motives, namely an economic and a political one. Archaeological evidence pertaining to Illyrian piracy is less direct. Through the methodology used in this thesis it is determined that certain types of archaeological evidence can point to piracy. The coin hoards found in Risan and Mazin, towns in Montenegro and Croatia respectively, contain coins which have a diversity in origin. This diversity in origin, called a conspicuous diversity, might indicate a buried piratical booty. In this case, piracy was committed for economic reasons. A burnt layer found in the ancient city of Rhizon is dated to 229 BC, the year of the first Illyrian war. According to Polybius, the pirate Queen Teuta fled to Rhizon and made it a stronghold during the war. The burnt layer points out a political reason for piracy, namely war. The burnt layer combined with the geographical location of Rhizon make a case for Rhizon being a binge-economy serving pirates. Proxy data, such as amphorae and coins, indicate an economic complexity characterized by long distance trade. Such a complexity is essential for piracy to flourish, since it provides the pirates with victims to attack. Modern day piracy in the Strait of Malacca committed by Somali pirates has much more complicated roots, but its reasons are still political and economic. Besides piracy for economic benefits, they also commit piracy to revolt against the current political situation. This might also be the case with the Illyrian pirates, since their political situation was similar to that of Somalia. The Illyrians were divided into tribes, with constant wars and without political unity.Show less
