Romans and Pirates

Plutarch's Lives | may 12 2009 | beebuster2000

[beebuster2000]

Romans and Pirates.

In the time of Pompey and Caesar, Pirates grew to a serious problem. Similar to today, the legal basis for pursuing Pirates was a problem. Romans tasked a military commander, Pompey, and passed a special law granting “government of the seas, sole sovereignty over all men, authority over all seas within the Pillars of Hercules (Gibraltar)”.

Passage of this law was not without controversy, and was opposed by leading men in the Senate as too much power. But the economy having been severely damaged by Pirates, the people favored it and it was passed. Having pretty thoroughly settled the legal issue, the Romans moved to ops phase.

Pompey was selected as the military commander and given power to draft military leaders, men and ships. Shortly, he set out with 200 ships and “scoured” the seas and in 90 days, cleared the Pirates.

The operation was a resounding success, and goods flowed again.

“What chiefly excited their (the peoples) joy was the unexpectedly rapid change in the markets, which abounded now with greatest plenty”

“Thus was this war ended, and the whole power of the pirates at sea dissolved everywhere in the space of three months, wherein, besides a great number of other vessels, Pompey took ninety men-of-war with brazen beaks; and likewise prisoners of war to the number of no less than twenty thousand.”

Another interesting Roman and Pirate tale has to do with Caesar, who was taken hostage himself by Pirates at one point. He amused his captors while arranging for himself to be ransomed out. Wherein he promptly raised a small naval force, returned to the Pirate stronghold, recaptured the ransom and had all the Pirates crucified.

Of course these were more barbaric times without our current level of understanding of how the world works.

Quotes from Plutarch.

http://encarta.msn.com/sidebar_762512409/From_Plutarch's_Lives_Pompey.html

[Kansas58]

[spyone]

Ironically, Pompey’s son Sextus, became a very successful pirate for a while.

[nufsed]

My uncle Stargell was a very famous pirate.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

The pirates in those days were based primarily in Illyria (modern Dalmatia), like Caesar's pirates, and Cilicia, in southeastern Asia Minor, famous as the pirates that Spartacus tried to hire to get the revolting slaves out of Italy. After Pompey put them down the Romans made both areas provinces of the Empire. Illyria became part of Caesar's province, along with Gaul, and Cilicia was governed by, among others, the orator Cicero, who got to lead some legions keeping the piratical homeland underneath the Roman heel.

[SunkenCiv]

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[Sherman Logan]

Pompey’s son Sextus, became a very successful pirate for a while.

This was the story as passed around by his enemies. In fact, he was a political and military opponent of Octavian who was based on Sicily and controlled the sea. Part of his strategy was of course interdicting trade and raiding ports.

If I remember correctly, he was eventually defeated by Agrippa, Octavian's most competent commander.

[beebuster2000]

interesting. i guess it turned out that the senate was right about giving such absolute power to pompey.

not too soon therafter, didnt he and caesar split up the empire, and then caesar became sole ruler and god?

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Pompey, Caesar and Crassus (who had defeated Spartacus), the First Triumvirate. Caesar got the enlarged province of Gaul and Illyria to get rich and (as it turned out) glory as a conqueror. Pompey got to stay in Rome, and befriend the /Senators. Crassus was given the command against Parthia (Persia), and ended up with his army destroyed and himself executed (by having liquid gold poured into his throat, so the story goes).

When Caesar marched on Rome, crossing the Rubicon, Pompey allied with the Senate and fought against Caesar, losing the decisive Battle of Pharsalus (Greece). After the battle, Pompey fled to Alexandria, Egypt, where he was killed by the orders of the young Pharaoh Ptolemy (brother of the famous Cleopatra). Caesar then ruled Rome for a number of years, was assassinated, and the Civil War entered the next phase (Caesar's heirs vs his assassins.)

[beebuster2000]

i thought caesar ruled rome for only a year or so, and was killed soon after proclaiming himself a god.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Caesar became the defacto ruler of Rome after the Battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC. During the next three years he spent some time in Rome, but most of his time in Egypt making Cleopatra the Pharaoh, in Asia Minor, conquering more territory for the Empire, and in North Africa, defeating the last of the Pompeian faction. He returned to Rome in the latter part of 45 BC, and was assassinated the following March 15th (the Ides), so he was the ruler of the Empire for just under four years. He never proclaimed himself a God, which would have been unthinkable in those days, but apparently was suspected of wanting to be named a Rex or king, a title hated by the leaders of the Republic since it overthrew the old Roman monarchy around 400 or 500 years earlier.

[CholeraJoe]

[beebuster2000]

thanks . i guess i was half right., he was killed after being in rome for only a year or so and after his death was proclaimed a god.

intersting

[jalisco555]

Another interesting parallel between today’s piracy and the problem the Romans faced is the total sense of paralysis and hopelessness the Romans felt in the face of piracy (the pirates even raided Rome itself) and the relative ease with which they defeated the pirates once they decided that enough was enough. I suspect that a NATO fleet with robust rules of engagement could take the pirates out pretty quickly. All that’s lacking is the will.

[beebuster2000]

another thing i didnt put in my post was that they also faced the problem of the pirates melting away inland when they attacked the seaside bases. the senate gave the naval forces special powers to go inland and persue the Pirates even on land.

[jalisco555]

another thing i didnt put in my post was that they also faced the problem of the pirates melting away inland when they attacked the seaside bases. the senate gave the naval forces special powers to go inland and persue the Pirates even on land.

This would certainly be needed today as well.

[ZULU]

“Of course these were more barbaric times without our current level of understanding of how the world works.”

Of course. (Sarcasm)

The ROmans understood the correct way to deal with troublemakers. We did too, once upon a time, before the bacillus of political correctness fried our brains.

[eleni121]

Of course these were more barbaric times without our current level of understanding of how the world works.

---

Mega sarcasm of course!

[colorado tanker]

I suspect the hostages and ships would be given up in short order if they saw a fleet appear and knew they faced crucifixion if they didn’t.

[beebuster2000]

busted