Pirates remain thick as thieves

As long as valuables have been moved by ship, water raiders have existed - so listen out for the click-click of a peg leg. Argh, me matey!

- By Brandon Prins

When most people imagine a pirate, they picture actor Johnny Depp playing the mad but likable swashbuckler Jack Sparrow, captain of the sailing ship Black Pearl.

Depp's pirate portrayal was inspired by seafaring bandits in older make-believe tales, such as Long John Silver in Treasure Island, Captain Hook in Peter Pan, or vengeful sailor Edmond Dantès in The Count of Monte Cristo.

Pirates in these stories were mischievous but also glamorous, courageous and mostly kindhearted. They wore flashy costumes. They had missing limbs, like Captain Cook's iron hook for a left hand and Long John Silver's wooden peg leg.

They buried treasure chests of gold and silver, forced enemies to walk the plank and had talking parrots as shipboard companions. They flew the Jolly Roger skull and crossbones flag from the ship's mast to frighten enemies. The new Netflix series One Piece, which is based on a Japanese comic book, continues this popular depiction of pirates. Although fun, these portrayals of pirates are mostly invented.

I'm a political scientist who studies modern-day commerce raiding: robbing of private cargo vessels on the high seas. I'm interested in where it happens in the world, who does it and what can be done to stop it. My research finds today's pirates to be less like swashbuckling Sparrow and more like regular old thieves.

Pirates in the ancient world

Because pirates have been around for as long as people have moved things by boat, it is hard to pin down the very first pirate.