Hi
I learnt from my friend who is an electrician how to use led strips
run off a rechargeable battery to light my gem set jewellery in my
cases. Makes it look great.
I just bought the stuff off the shelf in an electronics store.
Richard
Hi all
I believe that in ancient Egypt silver was more precious than gold
because of a shortage of supply of silver.
Now if I had a time machine guess where I would take my silver to
swap for gold.
If I had to choose between diamonds and salt (no can’t sell the
diamonds to buy salt)
Salt would win hands down. Diamonds look good but salt (in
moderation) makes food taste good.
Richard
In a paper I wrote, “The Prices of Metals in Mesopotamia and
Northern Syria in the Third and Second Millennia BC,” the higher
value of gold (vs. silver, copper, and bronze) is validated. In
cuneiform tablets, the earliest of prices were expressed
comparatively, in barley or silver. The earliest metal:metal price is
found in Old Sumerian, ca. 2600 BC, in which the ratio is Cu:Ag =
180:1 (this was about the purchase of some land). From the Old
Akkadian period (ca. 2400 BC), a gold:silver ratio is given: Au:Ag =
1:8 (this text involved the purchase of some gold with silver). The
metals value system in Mesopotamia was always done by weights.
Coinage was not invented until the first millennium BC, in Anatolia.
Diamond, as a gemstone, “has not been reliably reported in use
anywhere before the Roman Imperial period” (PRS Moorey, Ancient
Mesopotamian Materials and Industries, p. 82). The Sumerians loved
lapis and carnelian, both of which had to be imported over long
distances (most likely from Afghanistan and Pakistan). The striking
combination of these two stones with gold is seen in the jewelry from
the “Royal Cemetery” at Ur (ca. 2500 BC).
Sorry to go on for so long!
Judy Bjorkman
I can't help you with the diamonds (although 800 BC was the start of diamond appreciation), but I can confirm that Roman soldiers were paid with rock salt. The soldier was able to trade the salt where ever he traveled. Salt was valued by a lot of civilisations in the ancient world, allowing the Romans to purchase from the people they conquered.
Again, if the soldier wanted a loaf of bread, a mug of beer, or a
pair of shoes, how did he pay with a lump of rock salt? Certainly,
there was no ‘standard value’ for it across the world, it didn’t come
in standard amounts, and it would only have had value to those who
really needed it. Now imagine a hundred soldiers in a frontier town,
ALL trying to pawn off their salt ‘salary’ on the local inn-keepers
and merchants. I think the value would fall to zero pretty quickly.
I have to believe that it is not credible that the Romans could get
away with paying with salt nearly anywhere within the borders of the
empire. Rome itself is only 16 miles from the Mediterranean, with its
infinite supply of free, easily processed salt, and with nearly the
entire empire being situated within two weeks travel of a body of
salt water, there is no reason for it to be at all scarce, regardless
of what ancient documents or romance novels may describe.
Of course diamonds would have had little value to laborers - what
would they have done, traded them to the baker for a loaf of bread?
Today, would a stock clerk at Wal-Mart be happy to be paid with a
tiny vial of diamond crystals?
In the real economy, things would have been different. You need to
remember that, in the pre-DeBeers world, diamonds were far more rare
than they are today, and there were no viable diamond sources within
the boundaries of the empire, so any diamonds would have had to have
been traded for intentionally from India, where they WERE highly
valued.
Sorry to go on for so long! Judy Bjorkman
Hello Judy, Please do go on, what you have to add is absolutely
fascinating!
I have to believe that it is not credible that the Romans could get away with paying with salt nearly anywhere within the borders of the empire. Rome itself is only 16 miles from the Mediterranean, with its infinite supply of free, easily processed salt, and with nearly the entire empire being situated within two weeks travel of a body of salt water, there is no reason for it to be at all scarce, regardless of what ancient documents or romance novels may describe.
Hi Lee,
It does not seem credible to our modern way of thinking, but when
you really start to study history, you realise that what we take for
granted and common place was totally unthought of in those ancient
times. There was enough materials and knowledge in ancient times to
make a lot of the things we have today, yet they were not made. There
was a rudimentary steam engine made in ancient Greece, yet the first
steam locomotive was designed in 1813. When we look back in history
we look back with a modern mind.
A lot of people think that salt was extracted from the sea in
ancient times, but it was not, salt came from salt mines. Working in
the salt mines was horrible in that if you got a cut, it would not
only sting like the dickens, but it would not heal.
There is no “modern” reason why salt would be scarce, but we are
discussing ancient times. It’s a fact that Roman soldiers were paid
in rock salt. If you want to disregard contemporary ancient documents
then 95% of our history could be written off as fantasy. or romantic
novels.
I view history by the accomplishments of those people, when they
lived and not by my standards. This is why I have a passion for the
metal smiths from history as being very remarkable because they
didn’t have the same advanced knowledge that we have today.
Cutting and shaping diamonds without machines is a remarkable
undertaking. Cutting (separating?) garnets into fine slices and
setting it into fine gold to make items of incredible beauty. I find
things like this fascinating.
Regards Charles A.
Again, if the soldier wanted a loaf of bread, a mug of beer, or a pair of shoes, how did he pay with a lump of rock salt? Certainly, there was no 'standard value' for it across the world, it didn't come in standard amounts, and it would only have had value to those who really needed it. Now imagine a hundred soldiers in a frontier town, ALL trying to pawn off their salt 'salary' on the local inn-keepers and merchants. I think the value would fall to zero pretty quickly.
When you consider salt in ancient history you have to consider
factors that we take for granted.
There was no refrigeration, so food was made on a daily basis, and
not kept. Salt was used as a preservative for meat, extending the
shelf life of meat.
Access to salt was something else that we take for granted. Salt was
mined and not extracted from the sea, when it was used up you didn’t
go to the local store and buy a bag of salt. It was a valuable
commodity that could be used up.
If you spilled salt at someone’s house it was extremely embarrassing
because salt was so valuable. So that you wouldn’t die of shame, the
owner of the house would throw some salt over his shoulder. This has
now become a superstition, and it’s considered very bad luck to spill
salt, and only by throwing the salt over your shoulder removes the
bad luck.
We don’t value salt these days because we have easy access to it,
and we have refrigeration.
Regards Charles A.
P. S. Also if a cohort of Roman soldiers turned up to your place of
business, would you seriously refuse their business?
Mediterranean, with its infinite supply of free, easily processed salt
Not really. Gathering, evaporating and processing sea salt is a time
and labor intensive process. The people who do it have to eat.
Al Balmer
Pine City, NY
Lee- Salt was VERY expensive. It was very necessary until the
invention of refrigeration. During Roman times it was labor intensive
to make, transportation was slow and expensive and the Roman Empire
was bloody huge.
It stretched as far as the British Islands and to Germany, France
Spain and so on. They pretty much owned the known world.
I recommend that you read two books. Salt A World History by Mark
Kurlansky and Salted by Mark Bitterman.
One of my salt cellars is in the second book which is a James Beard
Book Award winner.
Have fun and make lots of jewelry.
Jo Haemer
timothywgreen.com
Salt wasnt all the soldiers got paid in but as it was relatively
expensive it was issued to troops who were good at their job. If you
failed to perform you werent paid with your salt ration and had to
but it from wherever, which could prove difficult.
The term “worth his salt” comes from this bonus, as does the word
salary which derives from salaria or salt pay. A legionnaire would
normally be paid in copper coinage called an As which often divided
into smaller bronze units of locally minted coin. All gold and
silver could only be minted in Rome whereas the base metal coins were
minted in the provinces under authority from Rome.
Nick Royall
May I also make mention of Ghandi’s Salt March - India is a hot
country - salt was a necessity for the average people because it was
used to preserve meat and fish. Salt was expensive and the British
held the monopoly on selling salt. No one could make or even pick up
a salt crystal or lump on a beach - by law. No one. Ghandi broke the
monopoly with a long march to the sea, followed by many people; he
picked up a salt crystal, an act that was mirrored all down the
coast, thus defying the British. Of course he was thrown in prison
soon afterwards. So much for Anti-Trust Legislation in a colonial
country.
For those who are skeptical about the whole “Roman soldiers paid
with salt” thing, I asked my brother, who’s a big Roman History nerd.
He said that it could have been possible in some occasions that it
was done, but that they were mostly paid in coin and booty. The
legion headquarters always kept their pay in the center of camp, and
it was coin. And the soldiers could take booty they got from a
conquest. Salt would have been a slight possibility.
Please do go on, what you have to add is absolutely fascinating!
Gwen, you are very kind. I always refer to Assyriology (the history
and literature of the Ancient Near East) as “the field in which I am
unemployed.” It is a wonderful field, with new data (especially
cuneiform tablets) being discovered all the time. But there are no
available jobs. So I am what’s called an “independent scholar,” and
only publish very occasional scholarly articles. Making jewelry is
more fun, but I do enjoy adding anything relevant from ancient
Mesopotamia and Syria now and then.
Gratefully,
Judy Bjorkman
It's a fact that Roman soldiers were paid in rock salt.
Hence the term describing someone that is considered competent as
being “worth his salt”.
Dave Phelps
He said that it could have been possible in some occasions that it was done, but that they were mostly paid in coin and booty. The legion headquarters always kept their pay in the center of camp, and it was coin. And the soldiers could take booty they got from a conquest. Salt would have been a slight possibility.
Hate to put my hand up as a nerd, but ask him if he has a copy of
Robinson’s book, he’ll know what I mean 
CIA
Hi re salt,
the reason that salt was/is put on the edge of the plate was not
table manners but economics.
This was because if it was not all used it was put back into the
salt pot.
I came across this fact when helping research an article on manners
for Vogue, 30 years ago.
A hangover from times when salt was expensive.
Today in the west we live better than royalty of the middle ages, a
shame so many don’t appreciate it.
Richard
The Latin word for a soldier’s wages is “salarium,” whence our word
"salary." The are two especially interesting conjectures I’ve read
about whether the word “salarium” is in fact from “sal,” Latin for
salt. One is that a Roman soldier’s salary was so meager that all you
could buy with it was salt. The other was a sarcastic comment on the
poor wages, much as we might say, “They pay me peanuts.”
Elliot Nesterman
Hi
I thought that throwing salt over the shoulder (left I think) was to
throw it in the face of the devil.
Don’t know why he sits there.
Ok why is the glass in salt cellars blue?
Why not other colours?
And why have so many glasses from salt cellars been broken?
Also why is so much antique silver hollow and flatware sold for less
than the cost to make today?
I made a silver salt cellar spoon and had it for sale for $120.
Seemed cheap to me a hollow ware / flat ware dealer laughed at my
price.
Hey 8 grams of silver and 2 hours work seemed good price to me. Sold
it to a spoon collector price not a problem for them.
A querulous Richard.
Another fun Roman Soldier Pay tidbit…
The common soldiers got paid first. If there was any money left over
then the officers got paid.
My late father who was a USAF comptroller for awhile, ended up using
this practice when he found out many years ago that there was an
issue with pay being sent to soldiers in the field. He told the
officers in charge that they would not be paid until the enlisted
guys got theirs and used the Romans as an example.
Have fun and make lots of jewelry.
Jo Haemer
timothywgreen.com