Introduction
The foundation of lock development came from the ideas and technical know-how of Roman engineers and smiths. For nearly 2,000 years, locksmiths worldwide have used and built on their ideas. It is uncertain whether the skilled Etruscans, the forerunners to the Romans, managed to build metal locks; they are named in ancient texts, but none have ever been found. In earlier periods, locks originating in Egypt and Greece, made of hard wood, were used.
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The Principate, from Augustus
to Constantine the Great |