Pirates | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/pirates/RSS feed for PiratesenMon, 20 Jul 2026 18:49:14 +0000Railway Construction Reveals a Coin Minted by a Roman Officer Who Proclaimed Himself 'Emperor of the North' in Britain 1,700 Years Agohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/railway-construction-reveals-coin-minted-by-roman-officer-who-proclaimed-himself-emperor-of-the-north-in-britain-1700-years-ago-180989160/Archaeologists in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire unearthed a silver denarius bearing the name of Carausius, who ruled the breakaway state of Britannia between 286 and 293Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:49:14 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/railway-construction-reveals-coin-minted-by-roman-officer-who-proclaimed-himself-emperor-of-the-north-in-britain-1700-years-ago-180989160/Shipwrecks Discovered Near the Bahamas Tantalize Researchers With Possible Ties to the Real Pirates of the Caribbeanhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/shipwrecks-discovered-near-the-bahamas-tantalize-researchers-with-possible-ties-to-the-real-pirates-of-the-caribbean-180988901/A team of archaeologists and filmmakers got permission to dive in the closed zone of the Nassau harbor and discovered six wrecks, including three with suspected ties to the era of piracyFri, 05 Jun 2026 13:43:20 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/shipwrecks-discovered-near-the-bahamas-tantalize-researchers-with-possible-ties-to-the-real-pirates-of-the-caribbean-180988901/Pirate Shipwreck Off the Coast of Cape Cod Sets the Historical Record Straight on West African Goldhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/pirate-shipwreck-off-the-coast-of-cape-cod-sets-the-historical-record-straight-on-west-african-gold-180988572/Europeans spread rumors about degraded gold from their Akan trade partners. A new analysis of artifacts from the "Whydah Gally" shipwreck tells a different storyMon, 20 Apr 2026 17:03:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/pirate-shipwreck-off-the-coast-of-cape-cod-sets-the-historical-record-straight-on-west-african-gold-180988572/Treasure Trove of Shipwrecks Along China's Coast Reveals How East Met West on the Maritime Silk Roadhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/treasure-trove-of-shipwrecks-along-chinas-coast-reveals-how-east-met-west-on-the-maritime-silk-road-180987518/Sunken finds in the South China Sea testify to rich trade networks used over hundreds of years. The sea routes brought porcelain, tea and other goods from Asia to Africa, the Middle East and EuropeWed, 22 Oct 2025 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/treasure-trove-of-shipwrecks-along-chinas-coast-reveals-how-east-met-west-on-the-maritime-silk-road-180987518/In the Muddy Banks of North Carolina, Student Archaeologists May Have Discovered the Remnants of a Centuries-Old Spanish Shiphttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/timber-from-colonial-era-spanish-ship-among-four-shipwrecks-discovered-in-north-carolina-180987139/While taking measurements of an abandoned wharf site, the students found timber from what experts believe may be part of La Fortuna, a Spanish ship destroyed nearly 300 years agoTue, 12 Aug 2025 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/timber-from-colonial-era-spanish-ship-among-four-shipwrecks-discovered-in-north-carolina-180987139/Archaeologists Find 300-Year-Old Shipwreck in What Used to Be 'One of the Baddest Pirate Lairs on Earth'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-find-300-year-old-shipwreck-in-what-used-to-be-one-of-the-baddest-pirate-lairs-on-earth-180986983/Pirates attacked the Portuguese warship, named the "Nossa Senhora do Cabo," and made off with many of the treasures the ship was transporting from India to PortugalThu, 17 Jul 2025 17:41:12 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-find-300-year-old-shipwreck-in-what-used-to-be-one-of-the-baddest-pirate-lairs-on-earth-180986983/How Dreams of Buried Pirate Treasure Enticed Americans to Flock to Florida During the Roaring Twentieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-dreams-of-buried-pirate-treasure-enticed-americans-to-flock-to-florida-during-the-roaring-twenties-180986376/1925 marked the peak of the Florida land boom. But false advertising and natural disasters thwarted many settlers' visions of striking it rich in the land of sunshineTue, 15 Apr 2025 10:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-dreams-of-buried-pirate-treasure-enticed-americans-to-flock-to-florida-during-the-roaring-twenties-180986376/How British Authorities Finally Caught Up to the Most Notorious Pirate in Historyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-british-authorities-finally-caught-up-to-the-most-notorious-pirate-in-history-180985284/On this day in 1718, the Royal Navy attacked and killed Blackbeard, also known as Edward Teach, off the coast of North CarolinaFri, 22 Nov 2024 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-british-authorities-finally-caught-up-to-the-most-notorious-pirate-in-history-180985284/Who Were the Real Pirates of the Caribbean?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-were-the-real-pirates-of-the-caribbean-180984343/During the Golden Age of Piracy, thousands of sea dogs sought fame and fortune. But the reality of a pirate's life was less enticing than movies and television shows suggestWed, 15 May 2024 11:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-were-the-real-pirates-of-the-caribbean-180984343/The Notorious Pirate King Who Vanished With the Riches of a Mughal Treasure Shiphttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-notorious-pirate-king-who-vanished-with-the-riches-of-mughal-treasure-ship-180984035/In the late 17th century, Henry Avery—the subject of the first global manhunt—bribed his way into the BahamasTue, 02 Apr 2024 11:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-notorious-pirate-king-who-vanished-with-the-riches-of-mughal-treasure-ship-180984035/