Salt Landscapes in Archaeological Research and Travel Accounts. The Jabb?l Lake and Other Salt Sources (Syria)

Salt is the main source of sodium in the human diet, which is involved in the control of blood pressure and volume and is essential for muscle function. The use of salt in antiquity is still a little debated issue: processing and consumption of sodium chloride, in fact, are difficult to prove archaeologically even where there are salt sources in the surrounding area. This paper explores the role of salt resources and landscapes in archaeological/textual data and travel memoirs.