Wild Salt

Before complex evaporation ponds or manufactured clay pots or lead pans were created to extract their salt, humans like wild animals harvested salt where it occurred naturally. 

Rock Salt: Even before complex mining techniques were developed you could gather rock salt from areas where it was near the surface. In areas like Austria, China, and Egypt they used hand tools to tunnel into salt-rich rocklayers and extract chunks of halite (rock salt)

Evaporation from Saltwater: In coastal regions or near salt springs, salt naturally forms as the sea water evaporates on plants and rocks which could then be harvested. Tide pools continue to provide a resource for some cultures. Over time people began to collect salty water in shallow clay or stone basins. This evolved into modern evaporation ponds

Harvesting from Salt Flats and Lakes: In arid regions, natural salt flats formed when lakes evaporated. People would scrape salt crusts directly from the surface. This method was especially common in places like the Andes and parts of Africa