The Trading of Salt
After the people of the early civilizations realized that salt could make food taste better, they started looking for other ways to deal with salt. It was not too long before one culture realized that they could trade the salt they had for different goods from a different civilization. Therefore, for centuries after this, ancient cultures used salt for their trade. In fact, Morocco south across the Sahara to Timbuktu is one of the most recognized salt trade routes known today.
Ancient Greek civilizations would receive salt from the Ancient Egyptian civilization. Hundreds of ships would sail the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas carrying salt from one area to the next. The Ancient Greek historian, Herodotus, discusses one of the many trade routes which united the salt oases of the Libyan desert. Another historical figure, Marco Polo, was said to have returned from his adventures from Cathay in 1295 with tales of salt and its value in other areas of the world.
Salt was so valuable around the 6th Century B.C. that the civilization which was rich in salt was able to trade it for gold. Amoles, which is what the citizens of Abyssinia called salt were extremely rich in salt and could exchange it for other amazing riches, such as gold. The salt from Abyssinia came from rock slabs which were about ten inches long and up to two inches thick. Abyssinia would often trade their salt with areas such as central Africa.
