Original photo by Billion Photos/ Shutterstock
Most of us are used to our wages or salary being paid directly into a bank account. Some might still receive a check in the mail. A few might even get an envelope at the end of each week or month containing their pay. But forms of payment in the past varied enormously, and some would seem downright strange to us in the 21st century. From salt to knives, here are six unusual ways people used to be paid for their labor.
Salt
The word “salary” is derived from the Latin word salarium. This translates to “allowance” or “salt money,” and literally meant the allowance given to buy salt (sal is the Latin word for “salt”). Historically, salt was of great importance because it allowed for the preservation of food. Without salt, soldiers would need to fish or hunt for their food each day. Therefore, being paid in salt or with enough money to buy salt (which was an expensive commodity) made life more convenient. The word salarium made its way into French and then English, and by the Middle Ages “salary” was being used to refer to compensation for work. This is also the root of the phrase “worth your salt.”
Beer
After a hard day’s work, you might sit back and relax with a beer. In ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, it might have been your payment. Egyptians considered beer a food of the gods (the deity Osiris supposedly taught people how to brew), and used it as both medicine and a type of currency. London’s British Museum holds a 5,000-year-old Sumerian stone tablet that historians think is a pay stub, and one that indicates payment made in beer. Early beers (often brewed by women) were thick, yeasty concoctions — almost meals in themselves — that were enjoyed by adults and children.
Knives
Receiving a knife as payment for your services was a common occurrence in ancient China from about the seventh to the second century BCE. In fact, money knives were often carried on a belt around one’s waist, providing easy access to them as currency or for more traditional purposes. According to legend, the practice may have originated when a prince who was running low on currency allowed his soldiers to use knives to barter with villagers. It then became more widespread, until the metal knives were a currency in their own right. Made of bronze, copper, or tin, segments of the knife could be cut off to use as payment, while the knife still retained its usefulness. Eventually the knives shrunk, until they became more like small knife-shaped pieces of metal used for currency than actual knives meant for cutting.
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Squirrels
It may sound gruesome to modern readers, but in Russia and Finland, squirrel pelts were once used as a form of currency. Fur was a valuable commodity in the frozen tundra, providing a source of clothing and blankets. Therefore, the pelts became important in trading. Sometimes those using pelts as currency went even further, using the ears, snouts, and other parts to make change. There was an incredible benefit to this system of currency: Some have speculated that it helped prevent plague. As the Black Death swept through most of Europe, the lack of squirrels to carry infection via fleas meant that people in Russia suffered from the devastating disease less than people in some neighboring countries.
Katanga Crosses
If you were to see a Katanga Cross in a museum or gallery, you might think it was a piece of art, perhaps religious in nature. In fact, these striking copper crosses were a form of currency in parts of what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Katanga region is rich in copper, so the metal was frequently used in payment. Coppersmiths made the crosses by pouring molten metal into sand molds. Each one weighed about 2 pounds, and one cross could buy about 22 pounds of flour or six axes. In case of an emergency, the cross could also be melted down to craft into a spear or tool.
Notgeld
Currency is usually based on something that has perceived value. But what do you do when you can’t access the material used to make that currency? In the case of Germany and some parts of Europe after World War I, they improvised with notgeld (necessity money). Coins were hard to come by at the time, as they had been melted down for their metal during the war. Postwar financial woes also meant that paper money had little value. And so, localities began to use alternative forms of currency made out of whatever they had access to. Silk, foil, wood, and many other materials were used as notgeld. Although not official currency, their use was widespread within communities as a means to pay for goods and services.
Fiona Young-Brown is a Kentucky-based writer and author. Originally from the U.K., she has written for the BBC, Fodor’s, Atlas Obscura, This England, Culture, and other outlets.
