While we’re on Romans, and money we’ll have to address the now common did-you-know of “salary actually comes from salt?!”.
In times before the fridge and food challenges on TLC, food was the most valuable commodity, and anything which could increase the shelf-life of the food was even more so. Salt could be used as a great preservative. So, the soldiers who were “worth their salt” were paid in salt. In fact, “sol dare” in Latin means “to give salt”. It is probably not where “soldier” is derived from, but I would rather focus on the “probably” there.
That said, it’s untrue that soldiers were literally paid in salt. Salt was a strictly regulated commodity yes, and by the ruling class. Receiving salt could be equated with receiving sustenance. And that is where the term supposedly comes from. But there’s no proof of it, and yet sources like Wikipedia and various Latin dictionaries (Like Lewis & Short, and Scheller’s) still attribute salary to salt.
“Salary” more likely derives from French “salaire” or Latin “salarium” both of which mean an “allowance”. But that’s boring. The only use of that information is when somebody else is trying to be more pretentious than you by threading the astute trail connecting salt and salary.
So, let’s dwell in the stories for longer. The myth is supported by the importance accorded to salt. In fact, in the Anglo-Saxon Britain, any town engaged with the trade and production of salt was denoted by their own prefix of “-wich”. And the sheer number of such towns in Greenwich, Driotwich, Northwich, Leftwich, etc. is evidence of the importance and prevalence.
Salt has had an interesting history. Can it give rise to a revolution? Yes. Can it give rise to entire civilizations? Yes. Can it give rise to the word? Depends on who bought it up.
In times before the fridge and food challenges on TLC, food was the most valuable commodity, and anything which could increase the shelf-life of the food was even more so. Salt could be used as a great preservative. So, the soldiers who were “worth their salt” were paid in salt. In fact, “sol dare” in Latin means “to give salt”. It is probably not where “soldier” is derived from, but I would rather focus on the “probably” there.
That said, it’s untrue that soldiers were literally paid in salt. Salt was a strictly regulated commodity yes, and by the ruling class. Receiving salt could be equated with receiving sustenance. And that is where the term supposedly comes from. But there’s no proof of it, and yet sources like Wikipedia and various Latin dictionaries (Like Lewis & Short, and Scheller’s) still attribute salary to salt.
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| Picture: Alfons Dlugosz's illustration of rolling of salt loaves at the Cracow Saltworks, Poland. |
“Salary” more likely derives from French “salaire” or Latin “salarium” both of which mean an “allowance”. But that’s boring. The only use of that information is when somebody else is trying to be more pretentious than you by threading the astute trail connecting salt and salary.
So, let’s dwell in the stories for longer. The myth is supported by the importance accorded to salt. In fact, in the Anglo-Saxon Britain, any town engaged with the trade and production of salt was denoted by their own prefix of “-wich”. And the sheer number of such towns in Greenwich, Driotwich, Northwich, Leftwich, etc. is evidence of the importance and prevalence.
Salt has had an interesting history. Can it give rise to a revolution? Yes. Can it give rise to entire civilizations? Yes. Can it give rise to the word? Depends on who bought it up.
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