How long have spices been used?

Spices have been used to flavour food since 50,000 B.C.E when early humans wrapped meats in spice leaves to cook over open fires. The leaves flavoured the meat and over time, other nuts, seeds and berries were added. The use of spices was first written about 8,000 years ago in the holy Indian text Rig Veda. Since then, the Bible, the Koran and other Indian Vedic scriptures have all referred to Indian spices. The Egyptians used spices for embalming their dead and are shown in hieroglyphs eating garlic and onions. The Greeks were also fans of what they called the "mysterious magical Indian spices", as were the Romans, who made spices a status symbol.