Where does ancient salt come from? A complete guide to the historical origins of salt

While traveling in Andalusia in southern Spain, I suddenly got a call from F, a friend who works in archaeology: "A tomb has been unearthed, and I have to write a report. I'll stop by on the way today to say hello. Want to come along? Ride in my car."

My idea of archaeological work had always been stuck at the stage of Indiana Jones and The Daughter of the Nile. With one hand on the steering wheel, F scoffed at my excitement: "Our job is to dig in the dirt under the sun, then write reports, spending all day circling around ancient people's garbage piles and graveyards. You've watched too many movies."

In Taiwan, China, anything over a hundred years old is called a historic site. In Europe, anything under five hundred years old does not even qualify to be called "old."

Andalusia is even prouder of its multicultural heritage. As early as 1000 BC, the Phoenicians established trading posts here. After that, the Romans took charge, and the Latin they brought evolved into today's Spanish. Next, Muslims from North Africa established kingdoms large and small, and finally they were conquered by Catholics, who drove out the Moors, and the south was unified under the Christian faith and royal authority from the north.

Under the blazing midsummer sun, the land was scorched yellow. We drove to a small town thirty or forty kilometers from Granada, with a population of only a little over a thousand. The white walls of the church in the middle of the town reflected the fierce sunlight, and melodious bells rang out from the tall bell tower.

The heat of over forty degrees made me dizzy. We parked the car and quickly took shelter in a bar near the church, drank a glass of cold beer, and asked for directions along the way.