Salt
White Gold in Early Europe

This Element tells you what salt is, where it comes from and how it has been produced over the ages.

Anthony Harding (Author)

9781009017640, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 12 August 2021

75 pages
22.8 x 15.2 x 0.6 cm, 0.163 kg

This Element provides a concise account of the archaeology of salt production in ancient Europe. It describes what salt is, where it is found, what it is used for, and its importance for human and animal health. The different periods of the past in which it was produced are described, from earliest times down to the medieval period. Attention is paid to the abundant literary sources that inform us about salt in the Greek and Roman world, as well as the likely locations of production in the Mediterranean and beyond. The economic and social importance of salt in human societies means that salt has served as a crucial aspect of trade and exchange over the centuries, and potentially as a means of individuals and societies achieving wealth and status.

1. Introduction
2. What salt is, where it occurs, and how it is exploited
3. Production from earliest times down to the Neolithic
4. The Copper and Bronze Ages
5. From Iron Age to Roman in northern Europe
6. Greek and Roman salt in the Mediterranean
7. Salt as an economic and social mover.

Subject Areas: Archaeology by period / region [HDD], Archaeology [HD]