Tag Archives: locks

Happy 4th of July – with a little history about locks

antique LockDid you know that Egyptians, Romans and Greeks used locks? Archeologists are not sure where the first lock was invented, but evidence suggests that locks initially developed independently in the Egyptian, Greek, and Roman civilizations. Wooden locks and keys were in use as early as 4,000 years ago. These type of locks consisted of a vertical beam with tumblers, a wood crossbeam and a wooden key.

Roman locks are no longer in existence since iron, the main metal used, rusts and corrodes, erasing most of them from history. The locks might be gone, but many of the keys can be seen in museums since they were fashioned as rings or necklaces due to clothing not having pockets in these times. One type of Roman lock was the warded bit key lock, another type was the spring loaded bolt. Continue reading Happy 4th of July – with a little history about locks