<DIV><DIV> <DIV> <DIV>This collection piques the imagination with historical evidence about the actual exploits of pirates as revealed in the archaeological record.&nbsp;The recent discovery of the wreck of Blackbeard's <I>Queen Anne&rsquo;s Revenge</I>, off Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina, has provoked scientists to ask, What is a pirate? Were pirates sea-going terrorists, lawless rogues who plundered, smuggled, and illegally transported slaves, or legitimate corsairs and privateers?&nbsp;Highlighting such pirate vessels as the <I>Speaker</I>, which sailed in the Indian Ocean, and the <I>Whydah</I>, the first pirate ship discovered in North America (near the tip of Cape Cod), the contributors analyze what constitutes a pirate ship and how it is different from a contemporary merchant or naval vessel. <DIV>&nbsp; <DIV>Examining excavated underwater &quot;treasure sites&quot; and terrestrial pirate lairs found off the coast of Madagascar, throughout the Caribbean, and within the United States, the authors explore the romanticized &quot;Golden Age of Piracy,&quot; a period brimming with the real-life exploits of Captain Kidd, Blackbeard, Henry Morgan, and the &quot;gentleman pirate&quot; Jean Lafitte.&nbsp;This book will appeal to the general public, with special interest to anthropologists, archaeologists, historians, and divers. </DIV>