Roman soldiers were partly paid in salt. It is said to be from this that we get the word soldier – ‘sal dare’, meaning to give salt. From the same source we get the word salary, ‘salarium’.
Salt was a scarce and expensive commodity and its value was legendary
.
Was salt valuable in ancient Rome?
Roman soldiers were partly paid in salt. It is said to be from this that we get the word soldier – ‘sal dare’, meaning to give salt. From the same source we get the word salary, ‘salarium’.
Salt was a scarce and expensive commodity and its value was legendary
.
Why was salt valuable in Roman times?
In Roman times, and throughout the Middle Ages, salt was a valuable commodity, also referred to as “white gold.” This high demand for salt was
due to its important use in preserving food
, especially meat and fish. Being so valuable, soldiers in the Roman army were sometimes paid with salt instead of money.
How valuable was salt in ancient times?
The historian explains that, going by trade documents from Venice in 1590, you could purchase
a ton of salt for 33 gold ducats
(ton the unit of measure, not the hyperbolic large quantity).
How much did salt cost in ancient Rome?
Roman soldiers were partly paid in salt
. It is said to be from this that we get the word soldier – ‘sal dare’, meaning to give salt. From the same source we get the word salary, ‘salarium’. Salt was a scarce and expensive commodity and its value was legendary.
When was salt more valuable than gold?
Recorded history also soundly refutes the myth that salt was more valuable than gold. YouTube historian Lindybeige cites Venetian trade documents from the height of the salt trade in
1590
that establish the value of 1 ton of salt as 33 gold ducats.
How much salt were Roman soldiers paid?
Polybius, writing in the mid-100s BCE, quotes a foot-soldier’s pay as ‘
two obols’ per day
, that is to say, one third of a denarius (Polybius 6.39. 12). In other words, a Roman pound of salt (ca. 330 grams) cost one twentieth of a foot-soldier’s daily wages.
Why is Chinese salt illegal?
Government monopoly salt was
too expensive to
compete with smuggled blackmarket salt, forcing officials to raise prices in order to meet their tax revenue quotas, making the government salt even less competitive and giving saltern families even more reason to sell to smugglers.
Why was salt so valuable?
Salt was a highly valued commodity not only because it was unobtainable in the sub-Saharan region but because
it was constantly consumed and supply never quite met the total demand
. There was also the problem that such a bulky item cost more to transport in significant quantities, which only added to its high price.
Are you worth your salt?
Nope
! It’s salt. From time to time, you may have heard someone say that someone or something is “worth its salt.” This common idiom means that someone or something deserves respect and is worth its cost or has value. The phrase originated with the ancient Romans, who valued salt highly.
How much did Roman soldiers get paid?
Pay. From the time of Gaius Marius onwards, legionaries received
225 denarii a year
(equal to 900 Sestertii); this basic rate remained unchanged until Domitian, who increased it to 300 denarii.
Where does salt we eat come from?
The salt we eat today comes largely from
the processed and convenience foods in
our diet, but some natural and unprocessed foods also contain salt or sodium. It occurs naturally in meats, seafood, eggs, some vegetables, and dairy products.
How much was a loaf of bread in ancient Rome?
More than 2,000 years before the low-carb revolution, bread was the staple of the Roman diet, and you could expect to pay
2 asses for a one-pound loaf
. A half-liter of top-shelf ancient wine cost up to 30 asses, while a new tunic cost about 15 sestertii.
Why was salt and gold so valuable?
The people who lived in the desert of North Africa could easily mine salt, but not gold. They craved the precious metal that would add so much to their personal splendor and prestige. These mutual needs led to the establishment of long-distance
trade routes
that connected very different cultures.
Why was salt so valuable in Africa?
To the north lay the vast Sahara, the source of much of the salt. … People wanted gold for its beauty, but they needed salt in their diets to survive. Salt, which
could be used to preserve food
, also made bland food tasty. These qualities made salt very valuable.
Why was salt worth its weight in gold in ancient times?
Salt was necessary for maintaining life
, but it was in short supply in the forests of West Africa. Salt became worth its weight in gold. And since gold was so abundant Abundant (adjective) : existing or available in large quantities 7 in the kingdom, Ghana achieved much of its wealth through trade with the Arabs.
