Pirates are robbers on the seas. Though most pirates targeted ships, some also carried out attacks on coastal towns. Pirates have existed since ancient times. Pirate ships usually carried far more crew than ordinary ships of a similar size, and they could easily outnumber their victims.
The most precious prizes were chests of gold, silver, jewels, coins and precious stones. But pirates did not only seize precious cargoes like these. They also wanted things they could use, such as food, barrels of wine and brandy, sails, anchors and other spare equipments for their ship, and essential tools such as those belonging to the ship’s carpenter and surgeon. Thousands of pirates were active from 1650 to 1720.
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