On the coast of Yorkshire (a major county in north-eastern England), a team of archaeologists discovered the oldest site for the salt industry in Western Europe, and this discovery is expected to revolutionize the understanding of Britain's prehistoric economy.
In a report published by the British newspaper "The Independent", writer David Keys says that the ruins discovered at this site - which are furnaces for making salt - date back about 6 thousand years, that is, about 2,400 years before the oldest British "salt factory" discovered. Previously.
The research was conducted by a team from the Environmental Research Center of Scottish Universities, an institution run by the University of Glasgow, while a team of researchers from the University of Sheffield scientifically analyzed the remnants of salt on ceramic pots.
Scientists believe that this discovery proves that the British economy in prehistoric times is more developed than previously thought, and that it was based largely on raising livestock and extracting salt.
The Yorkshire discovery indicates that early farmers in Britain were able to produce food in large quantities, which helped accelerate population expansion and led to profound social and political transformations.
Salt extraction method
Archaeologists on the Yorkshire coast discovered 3 furnaces for making salt and remnants of dozens of ceramic pots used in this process, and tests showed very high levels of salt on the inner surfaces of these vessels.
This discovery "changes our understanding of key aspects of the Neolithic economy," said excavation supervisor Dr. Steve Sherlock. This proves that the salt industry in Britain - a very important industry - is about 2,400 years older than we thought. "
Since there are no sources for the extraction of rock salt in Yorkshire, as well as the extraction of this type of salt does not require an oven;
Scientists believe that the salt in that region was made from sea water.
According to the research team, this process was most likely to take place in two stages: first, converting seawater into a brine solution through evaporation by exposing it to the wind and sometimes heating it under the sun in large pools made of clay, and secondly, using furnaces or stoves to convert the brine. Into salt crystals.
"Extracting salt from seawater is a complex, time-consuming and skillful process," said David Leah Wilson, one of Britain's leading salt producers who runs a project to extract sea salt in a traditional way in North Wales. Inevitably expanding its economic activity significantly. "
Increase livestock production
The effects of Yorkshire reveal that the inhabitants of that region in the Neolithic period were able to increase their production of beef and dairy products, by preserving the meat using salt.
And it was preferable in that period to slaughter most of the male cattle before reaching the first year.
But without salt, there was no efficient way to preserve meat, especially since Britain and most of northern Europe are characterized by high humidity.
Therefore, the extraction of salt allowed the preservation of meat and its use as a source of food throughout the year, as well as liberating pastures for female cattle producing milk, and reducing the amounts of winter fodder.
The abundance of meat preserved with salt throughout the year enabled the preservation of the milk-producing female cattle and the increase in dairy products.
"Without salt, it was nearly impossible for these early farmers to keep beef properly in the humid British climate," says James Swift, a specialist in traditional meat preservation techniques.