Pliny the Elder said in his discussion of seawater in Natural History, "In Rome, soldiers were originally paid in salt; the word salary was derived from salt."
But he must have been referring to around 640 BC, when Rome was still the inland city of the Seven Hills. Salt really was difficult for the Romans of that time to obtain, and one of the earliest "naturally formed roads" leading to Rome was used to transport salt.
But as Rome expanded, especially after conquering regions such as Gaul and Spain, metal and mining came into widespread use. Currency made from metal thus replaced salt as soldiers' pay.
A little-known historian of Ancient Rome once wrote: Ensuring the army's supplies was the guarantee of the Roman army's fighting strength. A shortage of provisions was more fatal to an army than defeat in battle; hunger was more terrifying than swords.
In war, the greatest weapon at your disposal was to ensure that your own side had ample provisions while leaving the enemy starving.
Though historical records were lacking, temperatures in the northern regions of the Northern Hemisphere should have been relatively low during that period. Not only did the Germanic peoples frequently migrate south, but the Huns did as well.
Compared with the Huns, Germanic society was more primitive. They did not know what slavery was, nor did they understand the value of Roman weapons, gold, silver, and jewels. They threw all such spoils into rivers as offerings to the river gods, until the waters themselves seemed to stop flowing.
Aside from Rome's own internal problems, the Germanic peoples had no tactics to speak of. They relied entirely on their battle instincts, following tribal chiefs or warriors, searching for weak points on the battlefield, then pouncing and tearing like beasts, ripping open a