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Salt was a very important commodity in antiquity as it was the only preservative available. The salt works neat Ostia, by the sea, were a great trading asset for Rome. Before the introduction of coins, Roman soldiers were paid in salt.
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Why were roman army's paid in salt?
It is unlikely For nearly 350 years of Roman history the soldiers were not paid because the Roman army was a citizen militia. Pay for the soldiers was introduced in 405 B.C., when Rome was at war with Veii, the nearby Etruscan city-sate. The ancient Greek historian Polybius wrote that during the Second Punic War in the 3rd century B.C., the soldiers received two Greek obols a day, which was probably the equivalent of five Roman asses, which were worth was about half a denarius. This would have meant a pay of 180 denarii (plural of denarius) a year. A devaluation of the as in 122 B.C. lead to a decrease in the value of the pay to 112 ½ denarii a year. Polybius also mentioned that money for food and clothing was deducted from the pay. Julius Caesar doubled the pay which was said to have risen to 225 denarii a year. The emperor Domitian (reigned 81-96 A.D.) increased it to 300 denarii a year. The Roman writer Pliny the Elder wrote: "Even in the very honours, too, that are bestowed upon successful warfare, salt plays its part, and from it, our word "salarium" is derived". Because of this some people have argued that salarium (which is the root of the English word salary and which is derived from sal, the Latin for salt) was the name of the pay of the soldiers and argued that in the early days of Rome the soldiers were paid in salt. However, the Roman historian Livy, writing about the introduction of pay for the soldiers in 405 B.C., said "ut stipendium miles de publico acciperet" (so the soldiers received a stipendium for the public [purse]). Therefore, the name of the pay of the soldiers was stipendium, not salarium. The word salarium, instead, referred to all the provisions which the Roman officers (not the ordinary officers) were supplied, as well as their pay in money. It was part of a package of supplies and pay which Augustus introduced for the governors of the Romans provinces (who commanded the legions stationed in the provinces) and military officers to put them in a greater state of dependence on him. Moreover, this happened in the late 1st century B.C./early 1st century B.C, not in the early days of Roman history. As for Pliny the Elder's words, they seems to suggest that salt was given as a reward for victorious war, rather than as pay. Salt was a very important commodity because it was used as a food preservative.
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Why were roman army's paid in salt?
It is unlikely For nearly 350 years of Roman history the soldiers were not paid because the Roman army was a citizen militia. Pay for the soldiers was introduced in 405 B.C., when Rome was at war with Veii, the nearby Etruscan city-sate. The ancient Greek historian Polybius wrote that during the Second Punic War in the 3rd century B.C., the soldiers received two Greek obols a day, which was probably the equivalent of five Roman asses, which were worth was about half a denarius. This would have meant a pay of 180 denarii (plural of denarius) a year. A devaluation of the as in 122 B.C. lead to a decrease in the value of the pay to 112 ½ denarii a year. Polybius also mentioned that money for food and clothing was deducted from the pay. Julius Caesar doubled the pay which was said to have risen to 225 denarii a year. The emperor Domitian (reigned 81-96 A.D.) increased it to 300 denarii a year. The Roman writer Pliny the Elder wrote: "Even in the very honours, too, that are bestowed upon successful warfare, salt plays its part, and from it, our word "salarium" is derived". Because of this some people have argued that salarium (which is the root of the English word salary and which is derived from sal, the Latin for salt) was the name of the pay of the soldiers and argued that in the early days of Rome the soldiers were paid in salt. However, the Roman historian Livy, writing about the introduction of pay for the soldiers in 405 B.C., said "ut stipendium miles de publico acciperet" (so the soldiers received a stipendium for the public [purse]). Therefore, the name of the pay of the soldiers was stipendium, not salarium. The word salarium, instead, referred to all the provisions which the Roman officers (not the ordinary officers) were supplied, as well as their pay in money. It was part of a package of supplies and pay which Augustus introduced for the governors of the Romans provinces (who commanded the legions stationed in the provinces) and military officers to put them in a greater state of dependence on him. Moreover, this happened in the late 1st century B.C./early 1st century B.C, not in the early days of Roman history. As for Pliny the Elder's words, they seems to suggest that salt was given as a reward for victorious war, rather than as pay. Salt was a very important commodity because it was used as a food preservative.
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