Publisher's Synopsis
It's hard to imagine a world without soap. We use it every day to clean our bodies and our homes. But have you ever wondered how this ubiquitous cleaning product came to be?
Soap has a long and fascinating history that can be traced back thousands of years. The earliest known reference to soap-like products comes from Sumerian clay tablets dating back to 2500 BC. These tablets describe the production of soap-like substances used for washing wool.
The first true soaps were made by the ancient Babylonians. These soaps were made from fats and ashes, and were used for cleaning clothes and body oils. The early Greeks also produced soap-like products, but it wasn't until the Romans that the recipe for true soap was developed. Roman soaps were made from animal fats and ashes, and were used for both cleaning and medicinal purposes.
Soap remained a luxury item for centuries, until the Middle Ages when it began to be produced on a larger scale. The industrial revolution also played a role in making soap more widely available, as new production methods made it easier and cheaper to produce. Today, soap is an indispensable part of our lives, and its history is as rich and varied as the many different types of soap that are now available.
