Pirates might be reduced to a Halloween costume for some people, but they are a year-round fascination for archaeologist and National Geographic Explorer Lisa Briggs. We go on assignment with her to the Mediterranean Sea to explore how pirating shaped ancient cities. We also meet the icons of the Golden Age of Piracy, explore the “pirate code,” and then follow Lisa to the wreck of the most famous renegade, Blackbeard.

Lisa Briggs is an underwater archaeologist, archaeological scientist, and documentary filmmaker. She is best known for her work excavating shipwrecks and conducting scientific analysis on artifacts recovered from some of the world’s most important underwater archaeological sites including Blackbeard’s flagship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the Bronze Age Uluburun and Cape Gelidonya shipwrecks of Turkey, the Hellenistic era Kyrenia ship of Cyprus, the Classical age Mazotos shipwreck, Cyprus, and the Renaissance period Gnalic shipwreck of Croatia. Her scientific research focuses on ancient biomolecules recovered from shipwrecks, including waterlogged grape seeds, olive stones, resins, and the invisible residues trapped inside of ceramic jars. Through her DNA analysis of shipwreck plant materials, Briggs attempts to trace the domestication and trade of important crops species throughout time.