Pirates of the Red Sea? Maritime Violence and State Formation in the Indian Ocean’s Seas in the Medieval Period

Piracy in the Horn of Africa and Arabian seaboards has been a major dynamic of modern geopolitics of the Western Indian Ocean (and very dramatically so in recent months), and the phenomenon of maritime predation is certainly not new in the region. Moreover, the notion of thieves of the high seas is visible in medieval Arabic sources. As in other world contexts, the very definition of the terms “piracy” and “naval predation” is of the essence. For the period between the 7th and the 16th century, the maritime and naval capability of large and small polities active in the Red Sea area has been the subject of recent scholarship that is contributing new data and concepts, enhancing our understanding of regional and trans-regional economic networks and the development of premodern states. This inquiry also illuminates long-term structures, such as the role of islands and maritime geography in general, that can illuminate more recent events through comparison and contrast. This presentation will outline relevant sources and concepts and comment on the recent historiography.

Speakers: Roxani Eleni Margariti

This event is free!