What was salt used to do in Egypt thousands of years ago? [br] [originaltext]

We have no idea about when men first began to use salt, but we do know that it has been used in many different ways throughout history. For example, it has been recorded in many history books that people who lived over three thousand years ago ate salted fish. (11)Thousands of years ago in Egypt, salt was used to preserve the dead. In some periods of history, a person who stole salt was thought to have broken the law. Take the eighteenth century for example. If a person was caught stealing salt, he would be thrown into prison. History also records that only in England about ten thousand people were put into prison during that century for stealing salt! About four hundred and fifty years ago, (12)in the year 1553 if a man took more than his share of salt, he would be thought to have broken the law and would be seriously punished, and his ear would be cut off. Salt was an important item on the dinner table of a king. It was always placed in front of the king when he sat down to eat. Important guests at the king’s table were seated near the salt. Less important guests were given seats farther away from it.