Artifact Trivia Continues

Last week’s artifact was a tough one! But how about this new item:

Frankie sure finds this one suspicious!

It’s pretty straightforward, though: this week’s artifact is a salt cellar. You may also know it as a salt box or even a salt pig! Often they can be found in antiques stores (sometimes along with lids and/or tiny spoons) and they are still made and used today, too. You might find them in one of two places: in the kitchen, right next to the stove, so that a cook can grab a pinch of salt whenever they need one; or in the dining room, on the table for guests to use in salting their food. Before salt shakers and grinders, salt cellars were the customary option for DIY seasoning. Most historians trace their use all the way back to ancient Rome and Greece.

On a personal note, I love finding salt cellars in collections and antique shops. They’re just so dainty, and you can find them in many styles to match your tableware—truly a fun and functional knickknack!