Our pay is called a 'salary,' but were Roman soldiers really paid in salt?
Every other Wednesday, like clockwork, my salary arrives in my bank account. By Thursday, most of it is gone.
While the English word "salary" indeed derives from the Latin "salarium," which translates to "stipend or money allowance," there is no evidence to suggest that Roman soldiers were paid in actual blocks of salt. Sal, the Latin word for salt, does appear in other salt-related English words, but the connection to Roman soldiers' pay is tenuous at best.
Roman soldiers were primarily paid in coins, particularly silver coins, and their salaries were issued by the state through installments three times a year. Over time, the stipendium increased, but it was not enough to meet the soldiers' needs due to inflation, leading to supplemental payments and bonuses, known as donativa. These bonuses were a form of loyalty to individual emperors, and emperors recognized that failing to pay them could lead to disloyalty.
Additionally, soldiers received other perks upon retirement, such as the praemia militiae, a lump sum of 3,000 denarii, and an allowance for food, clothing, and other items, which was funded through a special tax called the annona militaris.
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