The History of Pirates

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Pirates existed since ancient times that could be dated back to more than 3,000 years ago. The Greek philosopher Plutarch gave the oldest definition of piracy in about 100AD. He defined pirates as those who attack not only ships illegally, but also maritime cities. During the Middle Ages, there were a great deal of pirates in the Mediterranean. Pirates in North Africa flourished even sailing into the Atlantic in the 16^th and 17^th centuries.

Pirates were not only limited to strong men, but many pirates were women. Two of the most notorious female pirates were Anne Bonny and Mary Read. On the other hand, Ching Shih might be the most legendary female Chinese pirate. She could command a fleet of pirate ships.

Piracy continued in China and Southeast Asia through the 19^th and 20^th centuries. In the early 21^st century, many pirates operated from Somalia. In 2008, they stole a Ukrainian ship carrying 33 tanks. They also hijacked an oil tanker.

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Cool Words

Pirate

a person who sails in a ship and attacks other ships in order to steal from them

Maritime

connected with human activity at sea

Notorious

famous for something bad

Command

an order, especially one given by a soldier

Hijack

to take control of an aircraft or other vehicle during a journey, especially using violence