Hello everyone!
Have you ever wondered where “Soap” came from? Although the exact origin is unknown, historians have traced it back to prehistoric times. Personal hygiene can also be traced back to prehistoric times. Our prehistoric ancestors recognized the importance of water for sustaining life and established communities around or near water sources.
Evidence of soap making, in the form of a soap-like material, was discovered in clay cylinders during an excavation of ancient Babylon dating back to 2800 B.C. Inscriptions on these clay cylinders indicate that fats were boiled with ashes, suggesting an early method of soap making. However, there is no reference to the purpose of “soap.”
Medical evidence in the form of a document dating back to around 1500 B.C. describes a combination of vegetable oil, alkaline salts, and animal fats to form a soap-like substance used to treat skin diseases and for washing.
According to an ancient Roman legend, soap got its name from “Mount Sapo,” where animal sacrifices were offered to the gods. A mixture of rainwater, wood ash, and melted animal fat found its way down the side of Mount Sapo into the clay soil along the Tiber River, resulting in the discovery of an effective way to clean laundry with less effort.
In the “Horse and Buggy” days, soap making evolved with the introduction of sodium hydroxide, also known as “caustic soda” or “lye,” which was produced by collecting rainwater through a perforated barrel filled with hardwood ash. This colorless concoction was boiled until it was concentrated enough to float eggs still in their shells. Animal fat was then collected, and with the introduction of sodium hydroxide, soap making took on a more methodical process, resulting in the creation of what we now know as “Grammies soap.”
So there you have it, a brief history of soap. It has been around for a very long time. Fortunately, modern-day soap making methods have greatly improved, resulting in well-crafted bars of soap for your bath caddy.
Until then, bee kind to each other! 🙂
