The small gold lock mechanism discovered in northwest GermanyImage credit: LWL / S. Brentführer
Posted on 01/31/2025 9:00:59 PM PST by SunkenCiv
A miniature gold lock dated to the third to fourth centuries was found by a metal detectorist in Germany...
An analysis of the tiny lock with CT scans revealed the artifact's inner workings, showcasing its high level of Roman craftsmanship and hinting at trade between northern Germany and Rome in the third century...
Measuring just under half an inch (1.2 centimeters) in diameter, the tiny lock was identified by metal detector in a field in Westphalia, a region of northwestern Germany, in 2023...
Experts at LWL immediately recognized the gold lock as a miniature version of regular locks made in the Roman provinces in the third and fourth centuries. They would have been used to protect wooden chests similar to today's jewelry boxes, according to the statement.
All that remains of the miniature lock today is its cylinder, but in antiquity, it would have had a chain and a key, similar to a padlock. In restoring the find, LWL experts found that the core inside the cylinder was made of iron...
To virtually peer inside the lock, the researchers used 3D neutron computed tomography (CT), which uses neutrons instead of X-rays to see inside dense objects like the gold lock mechanism. They discovered that the inner workings of the lock included a spring, guide rail, bolt, baseplate and pin.
The mechanism is largely complete but shows signs of damage...
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
The small gold lock mechanism discovered in northwest GermanyImage credit: LWL / S. Brentführer
how is this possible before the Great Works
“I found a Diary beneath a tree
And started reading about me...”
Heh... that’s one of the problems of A) keeping a diary in Roman times, and B) teaching Roman girlfriends how to read. /rimshot
Lock Picking Lawyer needs this.
L
Part of a chastity belt lock?
Nice detailed work...
the Germans were geniuses and such a proud people until they were bombed and shamed out of existence
Hey, Germans will pay good money for that. Wait, what?
Could it not have been a later replica?
Replica of something from Roman times you mean?
Very nice work. Roman mechanical work was first rate. And yet, craftsmen of that kind were considered very low status. Same was true for people with handwriting skills (book publishing was done by hand copying originals), sculpting, and civil engineering.
Thanks for posting. Interesting, I’m always impressed by how advanced the Romans were and how their culture impacted the less advanced societies they occupied.
And English society looked down on those who actually worked for a living..and evidently still does.
In America our royal class is politicians and talentless “entertainers”.
I realize true artists work very hard.
Impressive!
That is a trigger lock for a crossbow because the smaller bow was considered a handgun.
My pleasure!
Speaking of replicas:
A large-scale replica of the Roman lock made out of steel and brass.Image credit: LWL / S. Brentführer
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