The name of salt, whose history is almost as old as human history, symbolizes this value; It has been called ‘white gold’. Although it seems like an indispensable part of our kitchens, its story and effects are much deeper and more complex than it seems. The discovery and history of salt has been an important factor shaping the rise and fall of civilizations.
Understanding how this white crystal became a masterpiece in the world helps us better understand not only our cuisines, but also our history and culture. In this article, we will explore how salt plays a role beyond being an ordinary ingredient. Are you ready to embark on an intriguing journey about the discovery and historical importance of salt and its effects on the modern world?
The Importance of Salt, It’s More Than It Seems
Salt, which Homer called a “sacred substance”, has been an indispensable part of people’s diet for centuries and is one of the rare substances that has played an effective role in shaping civilizations. Beyond being a basic component of the human body, this crystalline substance has throughout history become a symbol of concepts such as the efficiency of societies, the fulfillment of commitments and the continuity of various researches.
Not only did salt flavor people’s daily lives, but traces of it have also been found in historical texts, international trade, and even hospitality customs. Offered as an expression of hospitality, salt was used as a medium of exchange, even replacing money. For this reason, throughout history, those who own salt have had a great source of wealth.
The birth and development of civilizations are closely related to the availability of salt. Animals also need salt and they lick salt to find salt in nature. Paths in the wild were formed by the distances animals traveled to lick the salt. People also established settlements by following these paths. For this reason, just as civilizations emerged based on water resources, they also developed based on salt resources.
The Use of Salt as Currency and Its Cultural Role
Salt also played a major economic and cultural role. Salt in history first international trade article It is considered as money and was used as money for a while. For example, Venetians sometimes traded Asian spices for salt. traders in Africa, exchange salt for gold They did. Salt in Ethiopia currency became like that.
From Li Bing, who started the world’s first salt production in China in 250 BC, to the “organization against the British government in India in 1930”Salt RebellionSalt has affected wars, cultures, political powers, religions, economies and even food cultures in various ways, until Gandhi pioneered it.
The discovery of the usability of salt in preserving food initiated the foundation of civilization and eliminated the need to consume foods only depending on their seasons. It also paved the way for transporting food to remote areas. However, obtaining salt was an extremely difficult process in ancient times, and therefore, for some societies, salt was considered a real currency. Historically, salt has often been referred to as “White goldIt is called “.
In Ethiopia, it was a basic currency until the 20th century.amoleh” were salt sticks weighing about half a kilo. In Mali in 1450, salt was equivalent to the same weight of gold. Even today, in the Sudanese region and the forest villages in the south, salt is still used as currency.
It is an interesting fact that during the periods when the Roman Empire was on the stage of history, Roman soldiers were given salt as salary. During this period, “salt” meaning “salt” in LatinsalariumThe word “salary” is the origin of the word “salary” in English. This example, which emphasizes the historical value of salt, once again reveals the importance of salt in human history.
The Effect of Salt on Political and Economic Power
Salt was extremely expensive in many nations due to high taxes and salt monopolies, and this led to rebellions and conflicts between countries in many places, from China to the African continent. French RevolutionOne of the reasons was that the people rebelled against high salt taxes. India’s war of independence against British occupation began with a symbolic action by Mahatma Gandhi; He took a handful of salt and raised it into the air, representing the importance of salt and the struggle for independence. Likewise, many countries destroyed the cities they besieged during the war. salt production facilities He tried to break the resistance of the cities by destroying them and was successful.
During Roman times, salt became a political tool. Roman leaders subsidized the price of salt to gain popular support. The Senate manipulated salt prices in the Mediterranean to finance the Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage. In this way, salt played not only an economic but also a political role. Even as the Roman Empire collapsed, salt was instrumental in maintaining power and population.
Salt also became a major source of economic power for cities such as Genoa and Venice. These cities offered incentives to merchants when they brought salt. The Venetians were able to import valuable products, especially Indian spices, at lower prices. Venice dominated the world spice trade and thus became a major economic power. Venice also produced salt-requiring products in the Po River valleys, first selling salt to regional producers and then selling salt-preserved products at higher prices.
Salted cod became an excellent food for the Vikings on long sea voyages. This fish could be easily preserved, unlike oilier fish that could spoil quickly. Vikings crossed the Atlantic thanks to salted cod new world They found the courage to explore.
Between 1250 and 1350, German merchants founded a trading guild known as the Hanseatic League to regulate and develop the salt and herring trade. Members of the Hanseatic League shaped the commercial life of this period by greatly influencing Northern European trade. Although other countries, such as Sweden, had plenty of herring during this period, they could not find sunlight to provide the necessary conditions for the production of salt, so they began to use the Caribbean Island of San Bartelmi for salt production to compensate for this deficiency.
Salt in the Ottoman Empire
In the Ottoman Empire, salt was an important substance produced in salt pans and underground salt deposits on the sea coast. Salt was a substance widely used in industry, long-term preservation of food and daily consumption. Salt pans were one of the important sources of income of the Ottoman treasury and were active in many regions of the country.
salt pansThe incomes of the sultan were generally among the incomes of the sultan or the incomes of the properties of high-ranking state officials. These salt pans were located in a wide geography extending from the Mediterranean coast to the Black Sea region and even Transylvania. Ottoman During the period, salt had both economic and strategic importance.
During the Ottoman period, salt was a major source of income for the state and was exported to Europe from the ports of Syria and Izmir. Since natural resources such as rivers, mines, lakes and seas were considered state property, the salt pans also belonged to the state. The salt produced in the salt pans was considered direct property of the state. This situation was expressed in the Ottoman legal system with the understanding of “The property is mine, not the owner’s, they take care of it according to the moment.” People engaged in salt farming were exempt from these important taxes.
The state paid attention to every detail from the opening stage of the salt pans to the production process and made meticulous plans. Production was allowed when it was deemed that the salt pans were productive and profitable. After the opening of the salt pans, all steps from production to sales were regulated. It was meticulously determined which salt pans could sell salt to which regions, and sales other than this were not allowed. However, in some exceptional cases, when salt production decreased due to bad weather conditions, the production of other salt pans could be used to balance this situation, with the approval of the government.
sale of salt, transportation and storage It was also carried out according to certain rules. Most of the salt was sold in salt pans, imported salt was sold at import points and partly in retail salt shops in cities. The distribution and trade of salt took place through merchants. These merchants would buy salt from the salt pans, bring them to Istanbul and deliver them to the Salt Emini. The distribution of salt brought to Istanbul was also carried out in a certain order. Wholesale and retail sales of salt were subject to sensitive regulation in the Ottoman Empire.
The Discovery of Salt and Ancient China and Egypt
Ancient China and Egypt were among the first societies to discover the miraculous properties of salt. The Chinese were the first society to find a method to obtain salt by boiling ocean water. This discovery of saltIt played an important role in both food preservation and the development of human civilization.
With the discovery of salt and understanding of its importance, many civilizations conducted further studies on the extraction and processing of salt. The ancient Romans eventually learned how to extract salt and spread this knowledge throughout Europe. However, the Chinese were the first society to realize that salt could also be found underground, starting from 252 BC.
The Chinese realized that salt could also enable the hygienic and safe transportation of perishable foods. However, interestingly, during this period, the Chinese did not yet know how to use salt to flavor food. Instead, they tried to develop sauces such as soy sauce to achieve different flavors.
Ancient China was also the first culture to begin imposing taxes on the economic value of salt. The Chinese State, which controlled the sale of salt, obtained large additional income this way. These revenues were used to finance wars, support naval expeditions to the west, and even finance the construction of the Great Wall of China. Salt even had an impact on political decisions. So much so that Confucius served as an advisor while working on salt tax policies.
Ancient Egypt did not lag behind China in salt discoveries. They obtained salt by mining rock salt in the desert. By evaporation of sea water in the Nile delta salt harvest done. During this period, it was discovered that olives, which were hard and inedible when fresh, became delicious and soft after soaking in salt water. This finding also led to the preservation of fresh meat and marked the beginning of the mummification of human corpses.
Salt has become an element that strengthens and enriches civilizations. For example, “GaulsIn Roman records, the Celtic people known as “gal” or “gauls” were called “gal”, derived from the Greek word “hal”. The word “Hal” means salt. The reason was that the Celtic civilization grew based on the salt trade.
By the 4th century BC, Celtic lands covered large areas of Europe, and the Celts prospered by trading salt and salt products. They built salt production facilities across Europe and developed new techniques for salt mining. However, they were dominated by Rome in 50 BC, when Julius Caesar defeated the Celtic forces.
