The Door Lock

For individuals who did not have a private police force to defend their homes, there was another option: initially, dwellings and structures were protected by a simple bolt placed across the door, but around the second millennium BC, the Egyptian inventions of lock and key became the new security methods.

The ancient Egyptian tumbler lock symbolizes a fundamental transition in engineering history, despite being unquestionably less complicated than contemporary keys. When the correct key was entered, its prongs lifted up to allow the bolt to be drawn back and the door to open. Inside, many pins created a series of miniature bolts. The size of these old locks was one disadvantage. The first versions of these were huge, occasionally 2 feet long, and fashioned of wood. However, locks were not widely utilized throughout the Egyptian era, unlike furniture and cosmetics. Locks, like furniture and cosmetics, were not widespread throughout the Egyptian period; they were mostly employed to safeguard the wealthy's apartments and valuables, and have even been discovered inside the vast pyramids that functioned as the tombs of Egypt's kings.

Egyptian locks were actually more secure than Roman locks, which used a simpler design with a spring rather than a bolt to hold the door in place. The Roman locks were hidden inside the door, although they were comparatively easy to pick in comparison to the Egyptian locks.