About this Book

Salt was a commodity of great importance in the
ancient past, just as it is today. Its roles in promoting human health
and in making food more palatable are well-known; in peasant societies
it also plays a very important role in the preservation of foodstuffs
and in a range of industries. Uncovering the evidence for the ancient
production and use of salt has been a concern for historians over many
years, but interest in the archaeology of salt has been a particular
focus of research in recent times.

This book charts the history of research on archaeological salt and
traces the story of its production in Europe from earliest times down to
the Iron Age. It presents the results of recent research, which has
shown how much new evidence is now available from the different
countries of Europe. The book considers new approaches to the
archaeology of salt, including a GIS analysis
of the oft-cited association between Bronze Age hoards and salt sources,
and investigates the possibility of a new narrative of salt production
in prehistoric Europe based on the role of salt in society, including
issues of gender and the control of sources.

The book is intended for both academics and the general reader
interested in the prehistory of a fundamental but often
under-appreciated commodity in the ancient past. It includes the results
of the author’s own research as well as an up-to-date survey of current
work.