this post was submitted on 17 Jan 2026
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HistoryArtifacts
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Not in this case - not only were 'exotic' spices becoming much cheaper in this period, but salt has effectively always been affordable, save in a few very specific areas, like the Sahara. People can't live without it.
Interesting. I always wondered if a man was worth his salt, based on their salary
(/Humor)
You say humor, but the Ancient Romans (who loved discussing etymology) speculated that salary came from sal, salt, from a time when Rome was too poor to pay its soldiers in precious metals!
It's considered unlikely by modern linguists, both the etymology and the idea of paying soldiers in salt (whose primary source is... later Romans making the etymological connection), but the belief is (literally) ancient!