Ari Saastamoinen: Barbary Pirates

Researcher and author Ari Saastamoinen presents his latest book Barbaarirannikon merirosvot: Kaappauksia, uskonsotaa ja valtapeliä Välimerellä (Barbary Pirates: Captures, Religious Wars and Power Games in the Mediterranean, published by Gaudeamus).

In the early modern period, piracy was widespread far beyond the Caribbean. The Mediterranean was home to corsairs - privateers who waged private wars with state sanction, often driven by religious motives. Christian European powers faced off against the expanding Ottoman Empire in North Africa, with power, wealth, and human souls at stake. Plundering expeditions reached as far as Iceland.

Ari Saastamoinen holds a doctorate in philosophy and works as a writer, teacher, and ancient historian. His scholarly research has focused on hieroglyphics, and he has published works on Roman North Africa and the history of board games.