Since the time of Hesiod for nearly 300 years, historians and archaeologists have neglected to discuss the importance of salt in ancient times , up to the Industrial Revolution, and in respect to almost every scientific discipline; . In short, the influence of salt has not been considered as a key to the rise, fall or development of most ancient powers. The reason why, archaeologists and historians in particular , have not been impressed by the importance of Salt, is probably that pots, sherds, flints and metals have survived, whereas alkali salts easily dissolved by water, are difficult to trace in ancient ruins. Also the terminology of the word "Spice" has figured as a main object of trade in the past, flavoured with a romantic and exotic appeal. However it is clear that the most important spice was salt, a non oderous, bulk commodity, and required by a civilised world in huge quantities..
SALT (NaCl) - SALVATUS - SALVATION - COVENANT of most religions YOUR SALARY IS YOUR "worth in Salt"
SALARY / Webster Definition for:-- "salary"Cross references:--sal.a.ry \'sal-(*-)re-\ n [ME salarie, fr. L salarium salt money, pension, salary, fr. neut.]ofsalarius of salt, fr. sal salt - more at SALT : fixed compensation paid regularly forservices : OTHERS NOTES on the ETHYMOLOGY of SALT
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NaCl - [Common] SALT ..... |
MRBLOCH SALT ARCHIVE, is researching the significance, of SALT[NaCl] through the period 1000 BC up to the Industrial Revolution. For detailed references of statements made here, or Bibliography-
Please mail:
David Bloch - mblsalt@ibm.net.
"SALT" EMBRACES THESE DISCIPLINES and keywords:
PHYSIOLOGY & SALT
Water/NaCl ratio- Depravation Dehydration - Bromide / Chloride ratio - Craving
GEOLOGY & SALT
Mining -Petroleum - Dunaliella Algae Solar ponds - The Dead Sea, a sinkhole?
ECONOMICS & SALT
Money -Trade - Monopolies - Transport - Protection -Temple Industries -Slavery
MONOPOLIES
China Monopoly
France Monopoly
RELIGION & SALT
Sacrifice -Embalming -
Rites & Rituals - Kosher -
Slaughter
PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY & SALT
Sealevels - Solar evaporation
Salt Spray - Bromine -
Dust formation
PALAEGEOGRAPHY & SALT
Icecores - Melting - Flooding -
Volcanic activity - Eustatic sealevel changes
ARCHAEOLOGY & SALT
Temples - Alters and Sewage Salterns - Ports - Stores
PRODUCTION OF SALT
Peat - Saltpeter - Tinder-
Explosives - Glass - Leather
table salt - Other uses
MONOMANIA & SALTSalt is physiologically, absolutely necessary for human life, equal in importance to water; ...each required strictly in proportion to the other, in the body,
......... but in ancient times, unlike water, the known mineral sources of salt were limited, so much so, that salt became a critical demographic power factor for most communities, until industrial means of extraction from brines were devised.
It was only available as visible and exposed rock outcrops in arid regions, and as dried out salt-cake in lagoon areas and on the shores of seas and salt lakes. In humid areas, with wet climates, the salt dissolved in to salt "mirrors" below ground making it almost impossible for man to discover.
It is probably this, more than for any other reason, that some of the great civilisations first developed near deserts, and in desert climates: for example the Mediterranean, Mesoamerica, and Babylonia, at the edges of the "arid" zones.... and close to known salt sources
....and in spite of the hardships of living in such unhospitable places.SALT was so important to mankind, that it became a #'hall'-marked "money" of those times (and the "salary" and sale" of today) Salt was more important, "then", than petroleum is today. - SALT was so important that mankind was prepared to give up FREEDOM, in exchange for salt:--
SLAVES WERE BOUGHT AND SOLD FOR SALT
"SALVATUS" [latin] =slave eg: "BOUGHT in exchange for salt" SALARIUM [latin] = payment "HALOONETEI" [greek] = SLAVE -eg: BOUGHT FOR SALT Salus, Roman goddess of health
"In the beginning"........
Primitive Man,.... the lone hunter and gatherer, , obtained his, and his family's immediate salt and protein needs from the blood.and meat of his prey. - He was a free agent. and consumed the minimum salt he needed, 5 to 10 grams a day per person.
"Some populations have been able to survive with salt from blood and urine. In Kenya, Masai keep cattle for bloodletting."
And later .......
Civilised Man, ....organised,, and living in an agricultural community, relied on community distribution and storage of his meat which could be preserved, by dehydration with salt, for long periods at a time. The service enabled him to consume the meat over longer periods without fear of it going rancid.
At the same time, the 'salted meat' and 'salted fish' fulfilled his critical, physiological need.
With the limited supplies of salt - This meant almost total dependence on the community leadership, who controlled the salt supplies , and who thus performed the necessary de-hydration procedure
The slaughter - and "sacrificing" of animals and the production of meat and fish protein, became central as a community service and the basis of the "temple" economics, It became the basic ritual for many religions. It provided the heads of the community, the "priests", with their "power", and the community, with the benevolence of a healthy life.
and ....their Abbatoir became their Temple
The bye-products of this temple "industry" such as tanning and leather, glass, and [saltpetre] - tinder , also had considerable economic attraction for the temple administration, providing the community with a very important "living" and political power
The individual salt consumption rose to well over 150 grams a day and "Control" of the supply of such quantities was indeed power !
TO RETAIN THIS POWER, SALT
had to be
MONOPOLISED.
THE AVAILABILITY OF SALT, EITHER FROM EVAPORATION PANS ON THE SEASHORES OR DIRECTLY FROM THE VERY FEW VISIBLE SALT MINES, IN ANCIENT TIMES, HAS BEEN THE SOURCE OF VIOLENT FEUDS BETWEEN COMMUNITIES, UP TO THE PERIOD OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION. -
SINCE THE END OF THE LAST ICE AGE WHEN THE SEA LEVEL WAS MORE THAN 40 m BELOW ITS PRESENT LEVEL:, SMALLER ERRATIC EUSTATIC CHANGES OF ONLY ONE to TWO METERS IN THE SEA LEVEL WERE A CATASTROPHY, [FOR MARITIME CIVILISATIONS, RELYING ON SEA SHORE PRODUCTION OF SALT].-
CAUSING FLOODING OF THE PANS, OR
ALTERNATIVELY LEAVING THEM HIGH AND DRY.THE PURPOSE OF THIS PAGE IS TO TRY TO DESCRIBE THE HISTORY OF SALT [NaCl, AND ITS DERIVATIVES SUCH AS SALTPETRE],.. It may possibly be MUCH CLOSER TO THE TRUE HISTORY OF CIVILISED MAN THAN MOST HISTORIANS MAYCARE TO ADMIT. -
A "SALT ARCHIVE" DATABASE OF EVENTS AND EVIDENCE SUPPORTING THE ABOVE HYPOTHESIS IS AVAILABLE AND IS BEING CONSTRUCTED TO BE USED WITH THIS PAGE
Bibliography- Please e-mail:- David Bloch - mblsalt@ibm.net
.
BOOKMARK for further discussion, ...."SALT"...made the world go round
"SALT and Explosives..."....SALTPETER... the secret of PETRA..
MRBLOCH ARCHIVE -pages under construction
We should welcome any contributions to these pages. Your comments:
Quotations from these pages are authorized provided they mention the author's name David Blochand this URL - http://www.mbl.co.il/salt.htm and source of quotation (including date of last update). Copies of these pages must not alter the text and must leave this copyright mention visible in full.MBL
We thank GeoCities Athens
