salt dish

salt dish , circa 1855–1890

Where object was made: England, United Kingdom or United States

Material/technique: silvered blown glass

Dimensions:
Object Height/Diameter (Height x Diameter): 6.7 x 7.6 cm
Object Height/Diameter (Height x Diameter): 2 5/8 x 3 in

Credit line: William Bridges Thayer Memorial

Accession number: 1928.2035

On display: Stewart Gallery

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Salt is vital to survival and the scarcity of naturally occurring salt deposits led to it becoming a popular trade commodity. Some of the earliest and most prominent salt trade routes traversed inhospitable landscapes from Morocco, through the Sahara Desert, and on to Timbuktu. Others linked Egypt, the Aegean, and the Mediterranean with the Libyan Desert. Salt was so valuable it was used as currency, traded ounce for ounce with gold in parts of Africa.