Shipwreck, piracy and maritime sodales

Abstract

In the ancient times, piracy and international trade were a united phenomenon within the Mediterranean. This joint practice is reflected both in the language as well as in the legal usages; especially, regarding this, in the treatment of the shipwreck. This "shipwreck law" was applied to foreigners that, being at the port, did not have the necessary authorisations to trade or were compatriots of other trader-pirate that had a debt in said place. Violence towards the foreigners was fundamental for the supply of goods. And this not only consisted of assaults (which nowadays we would call piracy) but also in these forms of "state" repression like shipwreck. The archaic Rome was also concerned with this state of the things. In fact, it seems that the decemviral code also consented the existence of groups of maritime traders (sodales) among whose activities also included piracy.