Glossary · Term
Salt trade
The salt trade refers to the long-distance exchange of salt, a vital commodity for human diet and food preservation. In West Africa, salt mined in the Sahara was carried south by caravan and traded for gold and other goods from the savannah and forest regions. This exchange was a foundation of the wealth of the Ghana, Mali and Songhai empires, which taxed and controlled it.
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Cite this entry
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Salt trade. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/salt-trade
- MLA
- “Salt trade.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/salt-trade. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Salt trade.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/salt-trade.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Salt trade’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/salt-trade (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻