Salt exploitation in the later prehistory of the Carpathian Basin

Abstract

Salt is a necessity for humans and animals, today as in the ancient past. The ways in which salt was produced in ancient times vary from area to area, and could use briquetage, deep mining (as at Hallstatt), or the technique specific to Transylvania, based on wooden troughs, perforated in the base. How these troughs functioned is still uncertain. In the Iron Age a different technique was employed, involving deep shafts dug down to the rock salt surface. As well as technological considerations, it is crucial to understand the social and economic importance of salt in the ancient world.