The Salt Routes That Built Empires and Sparked Revolutions

Salt was the first global commodity. Long before silk or spices, salt routes crisscrossed the Sahara, the Alps, and the Himalayas, driving economies, funding empires, and even sparking revolutions. In this episode, Lucas and Luna trace the white gold trade from the salt mines of Mali to the salt pans of the Venetian Lagoon, following caravans across the desert, barges down the Rhine, and pack trains over the Alps. They delve into the Mali Empire, where Mansa Musa's salt caravans made him the richest man in history, and into the Roman salt trade along the Via Salaria, which gave us the word 'salary.' They also explore the Venetian salt monopoly, the Chinese state salt monopoly that funded the Tang dynasty, and the surprising role of salt in the French Revolution's gabelle tax. Along the way, they meet Timbuktu's salt merchants, the Tuareg guides of the Azalai, and the Han Chinese salt smugglers who defied the government. This episode offers a mineral's-eye view of history and reveals how the quest for a simple seasoning shaped our world. #SaltTrade #HistoryOfSalt #WhiteGold #MaliEmpire #MansaMusa #VenetianSalt #ViaSalaria #RomanTrade #Gabelle #FrenchRevolution #Azalai #Timbuktu #TangDynasty #SaltMonopoly #TransSaharanTrade #Tuareg #GlobalHistory #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo