Think Like a Pirate: Making Your Own Treasure Map!
Within your group, create your own treasure map! Make sure you follow the steps below:
 Create a starting point: Where will your map start? Be sure to include a starting position!
 Create a standard of measurement: Think about the units you will use in your directions
– will you use feet, meters, inches, or make up your own unit: for example giant hops or
skips. Make sure if you create your own unit of measurement it is something other
groups can easily duplicate and use.
 Shoot and record your bearings! Once you are at your starting location, decide which
direction you want your treasure hunters to go and shoot a bearing in the direction
 Determine Distance: Figure out how far you want your map-readers to travel in the
direction of your bearing. Use your standard of measurement to record that distance.
 Repeat! Continue shooting bears measuring distances until you reach a location you
want to hide your treasure!
(Your vector map should include at least 5 vector
directions.)
 Things to Think About:
o How will you go around objects in your treasure hunt? (For example, say you want to
direct your map-readers around a tree or a building.)
o How will your map-readers know they have reached their ‘treasure’. Make sure you
leave something for your direction-followers to find!
 Test Your Map ONE: Once you have completed your map and hid your treasure, return
to your staring point and follow your own map to make sure it makes sense! (Be sure to
indicate some type of scale on your drawing.)
Fun Pirate Facts
Introduction to Piracy
The history of piracy dates back more than 3000 years, but its accurate account depends on the actual
meaning of the word ‘pirate’. In English, the word piracy has many different meanings and its usage is still
relatively new. Today, some uses of the word have no particular meaning at all. A meaning was first
ascribed to the word piracy sometime before the XVII century. It appears that the word pirate (peirato) was
first used in about 140 BC by the Roman historian Polybius. The Greek historian Plutarch, writing in about
100 A.D., gave the oldest clear definition of piracy. He described pirates as those who attack without legal
authority not only ships, but also maritime cities. Piracy was described for the first time, among others, in
Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey. For a great many years there remained no unambiguous definition of
piracy. Norse riders of the 9th and 11th century AD were not considered pirates but rather, were called
"Danes" or "Vikings". Another popular meaning of the word in medieval England was "sea thieves". The
meaning of the word pirate most closely tied to the contemporary was established in the XVIII century AD.
This definition dubbed pirates "outlaws" whom even persons who were not soldiers could kill. The first
application of international law actually involved anti-pirate legislation. This is due to the fact that most
pirate acts were committed outside the borders of any country.
Sometimes governments gave rights to the pirates to represent them in their wars. The most popular form
was to give a license to a private sailor to attack enemy shipping on behalf of a specific king – Privateer.
Very often a privateer when caught by the enemy was tried as an outlaw notwithstanding the license. Below
we tried to outline a selective history of piracy, selective and arbitrary because there is so much that can be
said about piracy and it is impossible to tell all. We hope that even this brief introduction will show the spirit
and truth about the piracy the way we see it.
Code of Conduct on a Pirate Ship
The rules of each pirate captain were clearly stated to each member of the crew. There was little ambiguity
about acceptable behavior among pirates on a typical pirate ship. When a rule was breached, the crew was
often without pity or remorse in punishing a guilty crew member. Although in cases of particularly useful
pirates such as skillful fighters, exceptions were inevitably made. Below, a sample code of conduct is
provided. Outlined below is a sample.
Sample Code of Conduct:

Every man shall obey civil Command; the Captain shall have one full share and a half in all Prizes;
the Master, Carpenter, Boatswain and Gunner shall have one Share and quarter.

If any man shall offer to run away, or keep any Secret from the Company, he shall be marroon'd
with one Bottle of Powder, one Bottle of Water, one small Arm and shot.

If any Many shall steel any Thing in the Company, or game, to the Value of a Piece of Eight, he
shall be marroon'd or shot.

If at any Time we should meet another Marrooner (that is Pyrate) that Man that shall sign his
Articles without the Consent of our Company, shall suffer such Punishment as the Captain and
Company shall think fit.

That Man that shall strike another whilst these Articles are in force, shall receive Mose's Law (that
is 40 stripes lacking one) on the bare Back.

That Man that shall snap his Arms, or smoak Tobacco in the Hold, without a cap to his Pipe, or
carry a Candle lighted without a Lanthorn, shall suffer the same Punishment as in the former
Article.

That Man that shall not keep his Arms clean, fit for an Engagement, or neglect his Business, shall
be cut off from his Share, and suffer such other Punishment as the Captain and the Company shall
think fit.

If any Man shall lose a Joint in time of an Engagement he shall have 400 pieces of Eight; if a limb
800.

If at any time you meet with a prudent Woman, that Man that offers to meddle with her, without her
Consent, shall suffer present Death.
How to Talk like a Pirate
Step 1
Throw in a generous helping of "matey" and "arr!" Even if that's all the pirate speak you know, this will go a
long way towards making you sound authentic.
Step2
Replace "you" with "ye" and "your" with "yer." Use "me" to mean "my."
Step3
Start verbs with "be" and use the -ing form of the verb so that ye be soundin' like the real thing. These
substitutions work for the past, present and future: "We be plunderin'" could mean we plundered yesterday,
we are currently plundering now, or we are going to plunder tomorrow.
Step4
Omit the -g on word endings. A true pirate would never say "fighting," "going," or "pillaging."
Step5
Drop the -th on "with": Ye be comin' wi' me, matey?
Step6
Say "aye" to mean "yes" and "nay" for "no." And true pirates don't ask - they tell. No self-respecting pirate
would be caught dead saying things like, "Yes, I'd like another spot of tea, please." It's "Aye, gimme the tea,
matey!"
Step7
Describe everything using profuse and grandiose adjectives. Nothing is ever "good" or "big"; it's "right
grand" or "considerable vast."
References
Douglas Botting, The Seafarers: The Pirates, Time-Life Books, 1978.
David Cordingly and John Falconer, Pirates: Fact and Fiction, Collins & Brown Ltd., 1992.
David Cordingly, Under the Black Flag, Random House, 1995.