Piracy in SomaliaWhat is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word pirate? To this day, pirates still roam the oceans in search of loot; not necessarily treasure, but food, money, or supplies necessary for survival. This research paper will examine the history of piracy, as well as the causes and effects of hacker-related activities and why piracy still exists. What exactly is piracy? Well, it is the practice of attacking and robbing ships at sea. The basic concept of piracy has remained the same for thousands of years, dating back to the 14th century BC: "An inscription on a tablet of Egyptian clay depicted a group of people attacked on the Egyptian coast. » (Vallar, “The History of Maritime Piracy”). However, the first obvious indication of piracy appeared a little later in ancient Greece, over 2,000 years ago, during the Archaic (800-500 BC) and Classical (500-320 BC) periods. Pirates intercepted ships attempting to trade goods across the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas. The Aegean Sea contained many small islands which were used by pirates as refuges. In fact, the term pirate comes from the Greek word "peirato", which referred to people who attempted to attack without authorization. Homer, an ancient Greek author, first wrote about piracy in The Odyssey. Although he does not specifically support piracy, he claims that pirates are capable of achieving high social status. A current example can be seen off the coast of Somalia. Pirates have posed a threat to international trade since the second phase of the Somali civil war, which began in 2005. Since 2005, pirates have invaded many international organizations that sail in their waters, including the M... .. middle of paper ...... Eaters don't kill crew members; however, many scenarios resulted in death. Pirates also endanger ship members before they even board the ship. They have numerous weapons, which are used to fire on targeted ships as well as anyone on board. If the pirates manage to deploy their grappling hooks or ladders on the ship, they directly threaten anyone on board the ship. Another result of piracy in Somalia affected the local population. “SomaliaReport and AllAfrica.com have both reported significant increases in the prices of basic food items (such as sugar, rice and wheat flour) and gasoline, a direct result of hijackings of commercial vessels by pirates ." (Hurlburt, “The Human Cost of Somali Piracy”). While there are other factors that could cause this increase, piracy is cited as the main reason..