All  

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ Mobile

salt

Salt piles. Source: altitudevisual / Adobe Stock.

Historical Importance of Salt and How it Shaped Civilizations (Video)

Salt , beyond its culinary role, shaped civilizations. Marco Polo's 13th-century travels brought back treasures from China, including salt, propelling Venice to economic greatness. Salt's...
The Iron Age child’s shoe found in an Austian salt mine. Source: Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum

2000-Year-Old Child’s Leather Shoe Found in Austrian Salt Mine

This is not the first time German archaeologists have recovered well-preserved shoes from the Dürrnberg salt mine in Austria. However, what is a first, is the remarkable discovery of a child’s shoe,...
Interior of salt mine in Hallstatt, Austria. Source: Posztós János / Adobe Stock.

7,000-Year-Old Austrian Salt Mine Holds Bronze Age Secrets (Video)

Hallstatt, an ancient salt mine nestled in the picturesque Austrian Alps, holds an extraordinary tale of human history dating back an astonishing 7,000 years . While all mines necessitate regular...
Salt mine (representational image). Source:  Paweł Mielko / Adobe Stock.

Salt of the Earth: A Look Inside the Ancient Mines of Mali (Video)

The salt mines of Mali have been in operation for centuries and offer a glimpse into a way of life that has remained largely unchanged for over a thousand years. The miners work tirelessly in the...
Ancient Koumbi Saleh, a busy center of trade. Source: dasom/Adobe Stock

Gold, Salt, and Islam: The Story of Koumbi Saleh

Koumbi Saleh was one of the most important economic centers in West Africa during its peak around the 9th century. This wealthy trade city was once a hub of economic activity, with trade, agriculture...
Piles of natural salt. Source: sakarin14 / Adobe Stock.

How Four of the World’s Rarest Salts Survived for Centuries (Video)

Salt is one of the most important ingredients in the culinary world, but not all salts are created equal. While table salt may be a staple in most households, there are other salts that have been...
Ancient traditional salt production in Bali, Indonesia. Source: lenaivanova2311 / Adobe Stock.

The Ancient Art of Balinese Salt Production: A Tradition Preserved (Video)

The island of Bali in Indonesia is a land of enchanting beauty and cultural traditions that date back centuries. One such tradition is the art of producing Balinese palung salt , one of the rarest...
Hands sprinkling salt. Humans have cultivated salt for centuries, but in some places, salt has covered the earth. Source: Left zlikovec / Adobe Stock

Salt Sowing: An Ancient Method to Settle Scores

Many people use salt to bring out the flavor in their food. Others spread it on icy roads and sidewalks to give vehicles or pedestrians some grip as they go about their day. It is, by most accounts,...
Flotation survey at the Ek Way Nal Maya salt making site in Belize, with flags marking the locations of wooden posts below the sea surface. 		Source: Heather McKillop / Ancient Mesoamerica journal

Maya Salt Makers in Belize Worked From Home, Reveals Study

A fresh analysis of artifacts collected from a salt-making facility submerged beneath a lagoon in Belize has revealed enlightening details about the organization and functioning of the Maya salt...
Three Greek youths wonder where the wine has gone. Paestum, 470 BC. Source: BlackMac / Adobe Stock.

Heavily Seasoned: Why did the Ancients Like Salty Wine?

The history of wine stretches back to around 6,000 BC in the country of Georgia near the Caucasus mountains. However, knowledge of the wine and the wine-making process is scant at best. The most in-...
Oldest Known Saltworks in Britain Found on North Sea Coast

Oldest Known Saltworks in Britain Found on North Sea Coast

New excavations at an old Neolithic site in North Yorkshire have uncovered something truly remarkable. Under the direction of independent archaeologist Dr. Stephen Sherlock, a team of researchers...
Ancient Submerged Factory Reveals A Maya Salt Currency

Ancient Submerged Factory Reveals A Maya Salt Currency

Long-term analysis of a submerged salt plant in Belize has revealed extensive and surprising details about the salt making practices of the great Maya civilization during its Classic Period, which...
Mansa Musa: The Richest Man in History

Mansa Musa: The Richest Man in History

When people think of the richest people in history , more often than not they think of industrialists from the modern era, such as the Rothschilds, the Rockefellers, or the Carnegies. Perhaps some...
Salt man - Iran Baastan museum.

Preserved by Nature: Studying the Spectacular Salt Mummies of Iran

The saltmen are a group of natural mummies that were discovered in the Chehrabad Salt Mine in Iran. This mine is in the Zanjan Province and located about 340 km (211.27 miles) northwest of Tehran...
Prof. Vasil Nikolov and his team of archaeologists at the Provadia-Saltworks found the ceramic artifact, believed to be a salt god, while excavating the bottom of a salt evaporation pool. Source: Provadia-Solnitsata

Unidentified Salt God Emerges from Ancient Bulgarian Cult Site

In the ancient world salt was so valuable that Roman soldiers were sometimes paid with salt instead of money . A monthly salt allowance was a salarium , and this Latin word seeds both the French word...
Inside the Wieliczka salt mine in Poland

The Wieliczka Salt Mine in Poland is a Timeless Masterpiece

A travel along the corridors of the Wieliczka salt mine inspired Polish writer Bolesław Prus to write his most famous novel -''Pharaoh''. Over the centuries, all of the explored chambers of the salt...
Modern salt production. Piles of Salt, Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

Salt: A Mover and Shaker in Ancient Maya Society

Salt is essential for life. As ancient civilizations evolved from hunters and gatherers to agrarian societies, it has not been clear how people acquired this mineral that is a biological necessity...
Virtual reconstruction of Villa Romano de Toralla

Villa de Toralla: Who Lived in This Luxury High-Tech Roman Villa on the Galician Coast?

When Julius Caesar arrived in Spanish Galicia in 61 BC the history of this place changed forever. The impact of Roman architecture and many aspects of Roman culture are still visible. The remarkable...
A view of the Rudolf Mine in the Salina Turda.

Salina Turda: From Medieval Salt Mine to Subterranean Theme Park

Salina Turda is a salt mine located in the Durgău-Valea Sărată area of Turda, which is a city in Romania’s Cluj County. Salt extraction at Salina Turda began during the medieval period, and continued...
Exhibition showing salt production in Museo do Mar in Vigo, Spain. Source: Natalia Klimczak

Salt: Treasure of the Ancient World and Highly-Valued Currency of the Roman Empire

Salt was one of the greatest treasures of the ancient world. Production facilities dedicated to the mineral provided work for many people, but now most of the sites are destroyed or hidden deeply...
The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá

Once an Ancient Mine, The Breathtaking Underground Salt Cathedral of Colombia

From preserving the food and trade of a prosperous Pre-Hispanic civilizations, to funding a liberator’s fight for independence, all the way to astonishing modern tourists and worshippers with its...
“Sunset at Bathwater” Death Valley, California

The Long-Ago Shamans of Death Valley: Vision Quests and Magical Rites

Death Valley is located in southern California, adjacent to the state line with Nevada, in the United States. Running roughly north-south, this remote valley is roughly 95 miles (153 km) long and 25...
This is the actual size of the gold piece made in Bulgaria’s prehistoric fortified settlement of Solnitsata.

Oldest known Gold Jewelry in Europe Discovered at Bronze Age Bulgarian site

The first gold jewelry known to have been fashioned in Europe, about 6,600 years ago in Bulgaria, has been discovered in what the lead archaeologist calls the oldest prehistoric town in Europe. The...