Episode 27 - The Problem with Piracy

In the ancient Mediterranean, the line between trade and piracy was perilously thin. Pirates were a constant threat to commerce and travel, preying on shipping lanes and even raiding coastal towns with impunity. For Rome, they were not just criminals but hostes humani generis—enemies of all humanity—and a direct challenge to its authority.

This episode charts Rome's long and violent war against the pirates. We explore how figures like the Cilician pirates grew so powerful they effectively created their own state at sea, disrupting the vital grain supply to Rome itself. This forced the Senate to take unprecedented action, granting Pompey the Great extraordinary military power in 67 BCE to sweep the seas clean. We analyze the legal and political significance of this command and the tactics Pompey used to achieve a swift victory.

The fight against piracy was a defining struggle for Rome, forcing it to develop its naval power and assert its legal dominion over the entire Mediterranean. It was a centuries-long battle to transform a lawless sea into a Roman lake, Mare Nostrum. This story reveals how the control of maritime trade was essential to the maintenance of law and order in the Roman world.