Saltern

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A Saltern was a type of clay hut used for early salt production. The huts had a hole in the roof to allow smoke to escape. Large fires were lit beneath clay troughs of brine to evaporate water leaving salt crystals. Sea water would not have been used in salterns, but rather brine produced by passing fresh water over salt-rich sand collected from beneath the sea and packed into clay troughs.

In English archaeology, a saltern is a term used to describe an area used for salt making, especially in the East Anglian fenlands.

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