subject: Soap - Old As Dirt [print this page] Soap is a beautiful substanceSoap is a beautiful substance. It is what helps us keep our friends, family, and jobs. With it we feel clean, happy, and healthy. So when exactly was soap created?
Soap making has been dated as far back as 2800 BC with the Babylonians. During an excavation of the ancient Babylonians, a soap like substance was found in a clay cylinder proving its existence. The Babylonians even had a clay tablet dating 2200 BC that had a formula for soap.
There is proof in the Ebers papyrus that the Egyptians used soap as well. This papyrus says that they mixed animal and vegetable oils with alkaline salts, which makes soap. Egyptians also used soap to prepare their wool for weaving.
There is a Roman legend of how soap received its name. This legend says that on Mount Sapo animals were sacrificed to their Gods. When it rained, it would wash the melted animal fat and ashes down the mountain into the clay by Tiber River.
Women would go to Tiber River to clean their laundry. After a while, the women discovered that using the clay mixture was a very effective tool in cleaning. Some say that this legend is not true because there is no such mountain, but as legends go no one knows for sure.
The art of soap making has been passed down through out time and is known as women's work. In the 16th century, Europe made a finer soap by substituting vegetable oil for animal fat. It was Chemists that were the first to use vegetable oil, lye, and aromatic oils in soap.
Until the Industrial Revolution, soap making was done on a small and personal scale. The large manufacturing of soap helped to create low priced and higher quality soap. Transparent soap was invented in London by Andrew Pears in 1789.
A large part of the soap sold today is still manufactured. Some stores and shops like to make their own line of soap though. There are even individuals that like to make soap as a hobby.
