Jolly Roger is the old English name for the flags flown to identify the pirate ships about to attack, during the early 18th century or the Golden Age of Piracy. The first recorded display of the skull-and-crossbones symbol on naval flags date to the 17th century. It was first used among the Barbary pirates of the period, which would connect the black colour of the Jolly Roger to the Muslim Black Standard. Name “Jolly Roger” was first used in old England as a generic name for jovial and carefree man. But since the 17th century, that name was often used as a symbol of a skeleton. Pirates of those years started more and more using skeletons that were painted on black or red flags. It is also claimed that the term comes from “Joli Rouge” (“Pretty Red”) in reference to a red flag used by French privateers.
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