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Peter Edwell, Associate Professor in Ancient History, Macquarie University

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

Manakin/Getty

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.

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