Soldiers Were Paid Their Salaries In Salt
Interestingly, “salary” can be derived from the word “salarium”, which means “salt” in Latin! If you’re wondering how these two things are connected, the answer is that the soldiers had been paid in salt during the Roman Empire. There has been no solid proof found to confirm this although scholars generally agree this was true. In those days, salt was a hot commodity so it would make sense if it was used in lieu of currency. As a matter of fact, scholars believe it was used to purchase slaves as well.
Soldiers Were Paid Their Salaries In Salt
The Hottest Skincare Product Was Gladiator Sweat
You have already read how urine had been used to wash dirty clothes and gladiator blood had been consumed to cure epilepsy. However, it seems like the ancient Romans let no body fluids go to waste as they also collected the sweat of gladiators! Outside the arena, vendors selling gladiator sweat in vials had been a common sight. Their customers were primarily wealthy ladies who used it as some sort of face cream! A tool called strigil was normally used to scrape the dirt and sweat off the skin of popular gladiators, though not everyone had access to such products. It must have cost a fortune and they were pretty much reserved for women of status.
The Hottest Skincare Product Was Gladiator Sweat