"Likes dwarves perched on the shoulders of giants". Tradition and innovation in salt extraction technologies: the case of Tuscany (centuries 15th BC-21st AD)

Limina, Valentina
(2021) ‘Giants and Dwarfs in Science, Technology, and Medicine’, Ichotec 2021, 26th International Congress of History of Science and Te — Location: University of Prague, (online) (25.July.2021)

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Abstract
As Bernard of Chartres suggested with his famous statement, “We are like dwarves perched on the shoulders of giants” (John of Salisbury, Metalogicon, III, 4), the idea of cultural innovation and technological progress is closely related to that one of traditional knowledge. The pivotal role of salt in antiquity is proven by its usage in different domains, from human and animal consumption, food storage, medicine and cosmetic up to textile production and metallurgy. Moreover, salt's economic and symbolic value justified its use for payments, taxation, and wars. This paper aims to analyze the ancient and modern technologies for salt production in Tuscany (Italy), from the Bronze Age (16th-14th BC) to the present, to show how tradition and innovation are related. The analysis of literary, archaeological and archival sources focused on the Tuscan coast between the provinces of Livorno and Grosseto, and the cities of Volterra and Siena will lead to the investigation of different kinds of technologies for salt extraction and their relations with environmental changes. Thanks to this analysis, it will be argued that ancient technology was of primary importance in know-how transmission as well as in improving new productions.
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  • Università di PisaDipartimento di Civiltà e Forme del Sapere

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Limina, V. (2021). “Likes dwarves perched on the shoulders of giants”. Tradition and innovation in salt extraction technologies: the case of Tuscany (centuries 15th BC-21st AD). ‘Giants and Dwarfs in Science, Technology, and Medicine’, Ichotec 2021, 26th International Congress of History of Science and Te, University of Prague, (online). https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/101212