Do you remember the story of Jonah and the great fish? Jonah ended up going to Nineveh. That is where our story of locks begins.
The oldest known lock was found by archeologists in the Khorsabad palace ruins near Nineveh. The lock was estimated to be 4,000 years old. It was a forerunner to a pin tumbler type of lock. This lock worked using a large wooden bolt to secure a door, which had a slot with several holes in its upper surface. The holes were filled with wooden pegs that prevented the bolt from being opened.
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptian records showed locks to be in use around the same time as the lock from Nineveh. Fastened vertically on the door post, the wooden lock contained moveable pins that dropped by gravity into openings in the cross piece and locked the door. It was operated by a wooden key with pegs or prongs that raised the tumblers to clear the cross piece so that it could be pulled back. This method of locking was the forerunner of modern pin tumbler lock.
The Bible
Locks are mentioned in the Old Testament. In the Book of Nehemiah, chapter 3, it is stated that when repairing the old gates of the City of Jerusalem (ca.445 B.C.) they "set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof." At this time, locks were made of wood. They were large and crude in design; yet their principle of operation was similar to the modern pin-tumbler locks.
Ancient Trade Routes
It was believed that the padlock was first used as a travel lock to protect merchandise from bandits along ancient trade routes. They were made in a variety of geometric shapes and religious symbols. They were operated by keys that turned, screwed, pushed, and pulled. For better efficiency, letter locks, or combination padlocks, were developed, which eliminated keys and operated by alignment of letters or numbers on revolving disks.
All-Metal Locks
The first all-metal lock appeared between the years 870 and 900 AD and are of English origin. They were simple bolts were made of iron with obstructions (warding) fitted around the keyholes to prevent tampering.
Artistic Craftsmanship
Lock & key history from the 14th through the 17th century was filled with artistic accomplishment by superb craftsmen. Locksmiths were skilled metalworkers who were becoming internationally famous. Noblemen throughout Europe invited them to use designs of coats-of-arms and other symbolism to create intricate locks with fascinating shapes to with the architecture of their clients' estates or castles. There were few improvements in locking mechanisms. Security depended upon intricacies such as hidden keyholes, trick devices, and complicated warding.
Spanish Watchmen
At one point in Spanish history, there was a great distrust of locks. The householders of a block used to hire a watchman to patrol the neighborhood and carry the keys to their dwellings. To enter or leave a house, the resident clapped his hands vigorously to summon the watchman with his key.
Louis XVI & The French Revolution
Louis XVI, King of France, had an interesting hobby. He spent a great deal of time forging metal and making locks, skills taught to him by a locksmith named Gamin. He was particularly proud of an iron security cabinet which we concealed in a wall to protect his private papers. During the French Revolution, his secret hiding place was revealed by Gamin and his papers incriminated him. He was executed in 1793.
Joseph Bramah
Joseph Bramah (1749-1814) was a locksmith who solved practical problems in such a way that his contribution to the Industrial Revolution was as significant as Arkwright, Brunel, Maudsley, Stephenson and Watt. Early Bramah locks used a series of sliders in a circular pattern. Bramah is the oldest lock company in the world and is continuing to manufacture its famous mechanism 200 years later.
The Diving Locksmith
Early in the 20th century, Charles Courtney was fascinated with locks, and so began his lifelong career as a lock expert. He also became a diver. Because of his talent for picking locks, he was hired as a diver to open safes on sunken ships. He was the first to do a locksmithing job 400 feet under water, and he recovered many millions of dollars for the salvage companies.
Keychains Today
Today people carry a wide variety of keys on a keychain. The keychains pictured here have laser etched photos. In the case of the crystal glass to the left and above, the laser etches a digital photo within the crystal; the surface is completely smooth. In the case of the dog tag to the right, the digital photo is etched onto the surface of the metal. For size & pricing information on these gift ideas, go to our Crystal Magic or dog tag pages.
