35. Special Exhibition - Ancient Pirates

Ancient pirates were seafaring raiders who plundered ships, coastal settlements, and trade routes across the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Black Sea, and beyond.

Among the earliest known pirates were the Lukka and Sherden, mentioned in Egyptian records as maritime raiders of the Late Bronze Age. The Sea Peoples followed, wreaking havoc on ancient civilizations, while groups like the Cilician pirates captured Julius Caesar and terrorized Roman trade. In the Black Sea, Scythian pirates targeted Greek colonies, and Illyrian pirates disrupted Adriatic commerce, prompting Rome to intervene. The Tyrrhenian pirates were notorious in early Italy, and Viking raiders, though later in history, extended piracy into northern Europe.

Even the Crusaders, often romanticized for religious motives, engaged in acts akin to piracy, looting coastal cities for supplies. Exploiting instability, these pirates—whether motivated by survival, conquest, wealth or religion—shaped naval warfare and disrupted the foundations of ancient and medieval trade networks.