Was Soap An Anachronism in Middle-earth?

Q: Was Soap An Anachronism in Middle-earth?

ANSWER: The most ancient references to soap-making were discovered in ancient Babylon and dated to approximately 2800 BCE. Soap-making is thus quite an ancient art and J.R.R. Tolkien was probably aware that it was used in Egypt and perhaps other ancient civilizations like Babylon. Hence, when Frodo, Sam, and Pippin arrive at Crickhollow to find that Merry has prepared baths for them, soap seems to be one of the ordinary things included in the scene:

The travellers hung up their cloaks, and piled their packs on the floor. Merry led them down the passage and threw open a door at the far end. Firelight came out, and a puff of steam.

‘A bath!’ cried Pippin. ‘O blessed Meriadoc!’

‘Which order shall we go in?’ said Frodo. ‘Eldest first, or quickest first? You’ll be last either way, Master Peregrin.’

‘Trust me to arrange things better than that!’ said Merry. ‘We can’t begin life at Crickhollow with a quarrel over baths. In that room there are _three_ tubs, and a copper full of boiling water. There are also towels, mats and soap. Get inside, and be quick!’

Ironically, since the Middle-earth of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings is supposedly set around 6,000 years ago there are many ananchronisms in the stories — at least to the extent that we have no historical evidence for the types of architecture and technology described in Tolkien’s stories. Even the word “towel” seems to have quite a long etymological history. As a philologist Tolkien may have appreciated the ancientness of these words.

Although some iron objects have been dated to about 3500 BCE, iron smelting was only devised about 5,000 years ago — and iron weapons and armor did not appear until many centuries later (sometime after 2,000 BCE). Steel is known to have been developed in Asia by about 1,000 BCE. Chain-mail did not appear until about the 3rd or 2nd century BCE (7-800 years BEFORE the European Middle Ages). Roman armies used chain-mail after the 1st century BCE.

Cavalry similar to the Rohirrim did not appear until the late Roman period, when stirrups were adapted in eastern Europe. Persian, Roman, Byzantine Clibanarii were chain-mailed mounted soldiers who used long spears; they rode in high wooden saddles to brace themselves from impact since they lacked spurs. Some of the tactics Tolkien describes for the Rohirrim resemble Alexander’s cavalry charges from the 4th century BCE. Nonetheless, all of these things and methods would have to be deemed anachronistic for a story said to have occurred more than 6,000 years ago.

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