In modern times the word pirate has a glorified image due to Disney and a negative connotation, but piracy has not always been looked down upon. Piracy is defined as “attacking ships at sea without legal permission to do so” (Lesson 8/21). Piracy affects almost every nation in the world that has been engaged in ocean exploration for thousands of years. Throughout antiquity and the Middle Ages the term "piracy" had different definitions for each civilization that dealt with the concept; the Greek and Roman empires initially did not see piracy as a bad thing until it damaged their financial interests and led to the end of the Roman Empire and the conquest of the Vikings. Piracy was a common practice in Greece. In the Middle Ages the term piracy was not yet defined, but "pirate-like activities such as coastal raids" occurred (lesson 9/6). The first great Greek pirates were the Dorian pirates. The Dorians were the first organized acts of piracy. The Dorians captured children and women to sell in the markets. In Greece, piracy was also found in Homer's poems. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In Homer's writings, it was often difficult to distinguish between warfare and pirates. The definition of piracy was a gray area and difficult to define. Piracy was not looked down upon and was seen in much the same light as robbery in Greek culture. Piracy contributed a lot to Greece's independent wealth instead of government money. Piracy was convenient and was “the common unofficial form of welfare” (lesson 9/18). The Mediterranean Sea was notorious for piracy. It was only around the 4th century that piracy began to oppose piracy. Piracy began to lead to naval warfare and eventually both Peloponnesian Wars. Towards the end of the classical era in Greece there was a huge gray area between warfare and piracy and it was very difficult to distinguish between the two. Piracy remained widespread in Greece, however, it was a confusing cloud between war and piracy. The Romans used piracy as an excuse to expand their empire and conquer other civilizations. They despised piracy, yet used pirate-like tactics for their own gain. When comparing the Roman perspective of piracy with the Greek one, clear distinctions are noted. For the Greeks, maritime piracy was predominantly another form of work that did not differ substantially from any other form of robbery or trade. In Rome, piracy was considered clearly distinct from land banditry. As seafaring pirates became the only remaining threat to Rome's trade, pirates were classified and treated as enemies. Pirates, especially Sicilian pirates, posed a clear threat to Rome's expansion interests. Rome raided and conquered civilizations to expand its empire. Many Romans campaigned against certain “enemies presented as the repression of piracy because this suited the contemporary political needs” of the time (de Souza 2). The Romans attacked pirates in the hope of dominating the sea. Piracy was a way for the Roman government to justify its tactics. De Souza writes that “the key point is to look beyond the familiar images evoked by the terms 'pirate' and 'piracy' to see the pejorative labels applied by politicians and historical writers to delegitimize opponents of Roman imperialism” (De Souza). Piracy became a word to label criminals, but this tactic was used for years in the Roman Empire to expand and gain the upper hand. However, as time goes by, the.