Thu, Mar 3, 1994
In ancient times, from 3,000 BC to the time of Christ, the Mediterranean was the centre of the known world. It was a world where pirates were feared by men as powerful as the pharaohs of Egypt. Greek myths and legends often speak of pirates but we know very little about individual pirates of the time. Who was the ancient equivalent of Blackbeard or Captain Kidd?
1995
When we think of pirates, we imagine them as brigands and outlaws. After discovering the Americas, political and religious turmoil bred official and unofficial piracy. Under instructions from the government, licensed pirates were sanctioned to attack certain enemies. This program explores this practice, known as privateering, and its influence on the New World.
1995
The Buccaneers first settled on Hispaniola. They were mainly runaway slaves scratching out a living. Much of what we know of them comes from one book, "The Buccaneers of America," written by a man who sailed with pirates for six years. This program will explore how the Buccaneers' community struggled to survive.
1995
Various women pirates are mentioned, though the main focus is on Mary Read, elevated by her grandmother as a boy since age 4, while Rachel, her mother, was away living with her husband aboard ships. At the grandmother's death, Rachel returned home, but as a barmaid it was only natural to keep pretending that Mary was a young man, as protection against sexual harassment from the sailors and pirates. It comes naturally to this redhead Mary to enter the adventurous life of pirates, and cross the paths of Calico Jack and Anne Bonney, herself a woman pirate.