It is a story as old as civilization itself: A ship is sailing across the sea when it is suddenly attacked. Desperate, armed men clamor aboard, knock down the captain, and make off with the ship's cargo. That is the definition of piracy. Piracy is the act of plundering on the high seas. It has been happening on a daily basis for more than eight thousand years. And it still happens today.

The art of piracy goes back to the world's first great civilizations. Pirates are simply common—and not so common—criminals who break society's rules. Twenty-five hundred years ago, pirates plowed the Aegean Sea, stealing tin, silver, copper, and grain from Greek merchants. Later, in Roman times, pirates in swift galleys stole wine and olive oil from vessels on the Mediterranean. Around A. D. 800, vikings from...