Salt in ancient societies
From the Neolithic period onwards, salt became an essential resource that was vital to acquire. Hunter-gatherers had no particular need to harvest salt, which they found mainly in game meat. Conversely, sedentary livestock breeders and farmers needed a regular supply of salt, because:
- They had to compensate for the low-salt diets resulting from the development of agriculture (such as those based on cereals and legumes).
- But most importantly, they had to ensure their livestock's health by artificially feeding them salt.
- Finally, they need to ensure they could get through the "hunger gap" between autumn and spring by maintaining stocks of food; this was the purpose of salting and pickling.
Who were the biggest consumers of salt?
For a farm the size of a smallholding, of which there are many examples from the Iron Age, the minimum salt consumption was relatively high, at least 120 kilos per year, of which almost three quarters was used to feed livestock.
The high consumption of pork during the Iron Age suggests the use of long-term, salt-based preservation methods (for meat). In the Early Roman Empire, the reputation of hams from eastern Gaul, which were valued as far away as Rome, highlights the intensive use of salt in food production in Romanised regions.
Finally, the nature of the empire meant that very large numbers of men were brought together, all of whom had to be fed and nourished while travelling far and wide. These were the armies, which played a fundamental role from the end of the Gallic period onwards. The army needed very large quantities of culinary salt at any one time. The army also used huge quantities of preserved food, particularly salted meats, which allowed basic food supplies to be transported to distant theatres of operation.
The challenges of salt
The development of the state — accompanied by the rise of the armies — went hand in hand with the growth of the salt extraction industry. The formation of centralised powers served to intensify production of this truly essential raw material, as well as develop its long-distance distribution networks.
In these conditions, where large population centres depended on this product, which was scarce outside of coastal regions, salt production becomes particularly profitable. It became even more lucrative due to the fact that its extraction and distribution were controlled by a small number of powerful clients. This is because the returns generated by salt production enabled investment in the construction of infrastructure (such as fortifications), the production of weapons and the recruitment of mercenaries.
Controlling salt production therefore ensured power. This is why inland salt production centres were coveted and fought over as soon as relatively centralised powers were established. This made salt a strategic concern.
The returns it generated also made it a fundamental part of these early states' economies, which they could no longer do without. The pressure exerted on production could then lead to the over-exploitation of this resource, causing irreversible damage to the environment.
