A salt on nature

Did ancient conquerors punish their enemies by sowing captured fields with salt?

Don't be stupid.

As with most things, it's all about the money. Spitefully punishing your enemies with pestilence and death is good innocent fun-- but not if you have to dump precious commodity on the ground to do it.

Consider these facts:

Cecil estimates it'd take 31 tons to ruin an acre of farmland. Salt was the bling of the Roman era and in fact the word "salary" comes from "salt". Ergo there's no way that conquering Roman soldiers would take a pay cut to teach Carthage a lesson about throwing down.

March 21st - Happy Vernal Equinox Day

It's not an important holiday in modern times, but in traditional agrarian cultures the Vernal Equinox meant farmers could start planting without fear of late frost. So every year it was celebrated with elaborate public festivals--the Venereal Equinox not as much-- although it did involve a lot more private scratching.

Learn all about it: over here.

‘Tis spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love—and plowing*

True fact: Did you know the Vernal Equinox is the reason that that the Vatican employees actual astronomers? Easter is timed to occur on the first Sunday after the first full moon that follows the vernal equinox.

Why the Holy See has to hire an expensive team of PhDs to figure this out instead of just say looking at a calendar remains, like many things, mysterious and divine.


*anonymous NSA plowing