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Show j Salt as Money Down the ages wars have been fought over salt. Roman soldiers received it as part of their pay. This was known as "salarium," or salt money hence our word "salary." Salt has been used as money from Abyssinia to Tibet, and it played an important part in the financial system of the Mogul emperors. Marco Polo commented comment-ed on salt money in his accounts of his travels. ' Cleopatra, knowing the preservative preserv-ative qualities of salt, had the body of her Roman lover, Antony, embalmed em-balmed in it, and ordered that when she died her body should be similarly treated and laid by his side. |