Roman miniature gold lock discovery in Germany-history

A unique and complex micro-box lock was found in Peters of Peters in North Rhine-Westfaria in Germany, which was made of gold and iron during the Roman period. The size is only 1.2 x 1.1 cm, less than one euro coin or a quarter of the United States, and the history of small locks can be traced back to the third or 4th century. This is the northernmost box lock found in Germany, and it is also the only miniature lock discovered in Europe.

It was exploded by a licensed metal detector Constantin in 2023. Small and gold, not the usual iron or bronze.

The lock sleeve is made of two cylindrical metal plates, covering the top and bottom with a lid and riveting. The outermost paper decoration has two rows of perforation. The chain is lacking, but the terminal link and rusty iron core inside the chain are also visible. Seeing this, the LWL protector decided to explore the interior of the micro -lock to see if it was actually a normal functional mechanism, not a decorative micro mechanism.

X -rays and CT scans cannot penetrate densely intensive sleeves, only the rivets and chain links are displayed. Therefore, the team deployed a stronger 3D neutron computer tomography technology to see the lock.

The image quality of the neutron CT provides the key to understanding the mechanism of the micro -locking China Railway: the cross -section shows the framework with springs and assumptions, bolts, bottom plates and nails. “They also showed that the mechanism was large and damaged to a large extent, because some people were clearly poked in the lock at the time, maybe to open it or eliminate obstacles,” Finder Constantin Fried said. Essence He is undergoing investigations on the most important discovery of him so far.

“Although it is damaged, the function of the organization and the function of the loss of the organization can be easily reconstructed, because the shape and size of the component can be concluded. But the comparison here is also helpful.” Rind explained. A repairman of the LWL Archaeological Ministry produced a complete copy of the lock, which is four times the original. Rind: “As the link of the chain is still in place, you can also rebuild the link chain of the lock chain. This link must have at least six elements to work.”

“Rüschoff-Parzinger) said:” Petershagen’s extraordinary discovery shows that the level of provincial Roman blacksmith and metal processing trade is high. “At the same time, the discovery is LWL archeology Scholars provide new clues about the relationship between the local elites of Westparia and the Roman Empire, and the local significance of their location.