Our pay is called a ‘salary’, but were Roman soldiers really paid in salt?

By Peter Edwell, Associate Professor in Ancient History, Macquarie University

Every second Wednesday, like clockwork, my salary arrives in my bank account. By Thursday, most of it is gone.

Recently, though, as I contemplated its fortnightly appearance and disappearance, I started thinking about the origin of the word “salary”. As a historian of the ancient Roman Empire, I often think about the modern legacy it continues to bestow.

It’s a common belief that the English word “salary” derives from the Latin word salarium…

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