Surviving Roman padlocks are rare. The basic types are barrel locks, iron barbed spring locks, spring-loaded bolt locks and figural locks. Barrel locks were made in both iron and bronze, while figural locks are found only in bronze.

Enough Roman iron barbed spring padlocks and keys have survived to give us a good idea of their design and function. This is especially true since similar locks were in use until very recent times. Shown here are some examples found in Britain (Ward, 1911)

Small bronze barrel padlocks (2" or less) with barbed spring mechanisms that I have seen, sometimes ascribed to Roman times, are medieval.

Three iron barbed spring padlocks (4899,5034,5073) are shown here that have an unusual configuration that I have not seen described previously. The keyhole is on the side of the case, requiring a curved slide key. The case is divided into upper and lower compartments. They are separated except at the front, where there are two openings. At the end of travel of the key, the bits on the end of the key pop up from the lower to upper chamber, compressing the two springs. With a side keyhole, the curve of the key would be critical in opening such a lock. Another such padlock of this type is shown below as Cots-2 (Cotswold).  A sketch of a somewhat later two-chamber Swedish lock is shown at right (Historicallocks.com/Vendel-Era)

4865 Large iron padlock with attached chain. Also quite similar to 4899, except there is a conventional keyhole at the end for a slide key.

4899 Large iron padlock with attached chain. The spring assembly enters high on the end of the case, which has a hooded extension. Possibly this is to protect the stop on the spring shaft from prying. The rectangular keyhole on the lower side would admit a simple, slightly curved key to reach the compressible end of the spring.

4900 a, b Small iron padlock. This lock shows evidence of joining by brazing. The design is little different from that of some Asian padlocks of the last few hundred years.

5023 b This is a strange one, the only example of this style I've ever seen. I can think of a couple of reasons to not put the keyway on the top of the case. It would allow water and dirt to enter, and it would provide would-be lock pickers with a grand view of the mechanism. The lock itself is in good condition for a dug lock of any age, and could even be restored to working order if anyone cared to make the spring & bolt assembly. Key 361 that is shown with it, although they were not found together, is a near fit and shows the design that would be required. If the neck were just a bit narrower, it could slide down the slot and compress the (missing) springs.

5034 This little iron padlock is a smaller version of 4899. The keyhole is on the side, although it's the opposite side, and is circular rather than rectangular.

5073  Very good condition for an iron lock

5122  Rectangular box lock of sheet iron, bent over a bottom/end piece and reinforced at the bottom with a pair of riveted iron strips.  Don't see any evidence of brazing.

5127  A sturdy iron locking piece with a nice intact set of springs. Apparently the lock body itself didn't survive.

5133  Bronze with elaborate decorations

Cots-1  An iron box type padlock, found in Britain (admin.cotswold) of riveted construction, similar to that illustrated by Ward, above

Cots-2  This one with a side keyhole like many of mine

5158  This little padlock is deteriorated to the point of falling apart, but the locking piece is still in pretty good shape. Note the single spring: the key or pick required to open it would be very simple.

5162 On this example, the locking piece is frozen part way out of the case. It could perhaps be removed if there were any purpose in that. The shackle is rectangular in cross section. There are two holes in the case: a round one in the side and a vertical rectangular one in the rear. I can't really be sure which is the keyhole. There are other unusual features. Three iron loops are pinned to the lower case: two large and one small. The sides are also extended down to form a recessed area on the bottom. It almost looks like there was something that fitted there and was retained by the loops, but I don't know what it could have been.

5165  Small lock with bottom keyhole and ward for slide key.  Traces of  joining by brazing. Similar design to more recent Asian padlocks.

5170  This is a modern replica of an iron box-style Roman padlock. Shows pretty closely what they would have looked like when new.

5192  Large rectangular keyhole in this rather small lock

5196  Another iron padlock with a rectangular side keyhole. This one was brutalized during its final few dramatic moments of service.  The locking piece has been pulled out as far as possible, exposing the spring assembly join. In this case the locking piece is close fitting and has no shield. It is slightly loose in the case. Assembly of this lock is by forging, riveting and brazing.  I note that there is a substantial groove worn in the shackle where it would have been in contact with the locking piece when closed, indicating that the lock was used for a long time. Until someone lost the key, I suppose.

5232  Byzantine, gilt bronze.  Only patches of gilding remain, but it must have been quite decorative. This is the smallest of the type I've seen. Very likely for a jewelry casket. The single iron spring riveted to the bottom of the locking piece is largely rusted away, which of course is why the lock can be opened. Otherwise, it's completely intact.

Barbed Spring Padlocks

Some mention of restraints (shackles, manacles, fetters, handcuffs) should be made here, although there are none that can be identified as such in this collection. They often incorporate barrel and box padlocks in their designs. Most such are iron barbed spring padlocks, and some are similar to those described above. An excellent source of information on this hardware is Thompson (Iron Age and Roman Slave-Shackles).  I'm showing here an example from Thompson.  This can be thought of as simply a rectangular iron box padlock with an unusual shackle attached. Also, there is a key for such a slave shackle, along with an example of my own, Key 393, which is quite similar.

Chains.  

We have many examples of Roman chains. As shown above, chains for rough usage were often made of elongated iron links, which provides the most length with the least amount of fabrication. These would likely be made up as required by legionary smiths, and used for prisoners. For barrel locks, the end link in a padlock chain was elongated for insertion into a small slot. Roman chains have also been found that are very delicate and sophisticated. Chain design has changed little since classical times, although methods of fabrication have improved tremendously. I don't really collect unattached chains, and will show only a few examples,

Chain 5101 with carefully shaped bronze links

Chain 5137 Bronze, with a link having the ends twisted at right angles..

Chains 5177  Three little iron chains, two with continuous links, and the third with links simply bent into shape

Chain 5187  Bronze with 5/8" links

Chain 5189  Bronze, with double links made of flattened strips. Special hook on one end.

Chain 5205  Carefully made, can't see the joins

Chain 5206  Tear drop shape links are forge-welded at the small end

Chain 5207  Links not forged, but just butted together at the end, not normally visible

Chain 5219  Bronze

Chain 5223  Bronze

Chain 5224  Bronze

The invention of the barrel padlock. It is very difficult to believe that the Roman barrel padlock sprang full blown from the mind of a single ancient lock maker. Like most inventions, it must have been a further development of something earlier, an "improvement" on existing hardware. I suggest the following as a plausible path by which such a development might have taken place. As remarked in the section on chest lock hasps, it is likely that Roman locksmiths made up prefabricated chest lock assemblies that could be selected by a customer and simply nailed or pinned onto a new chest.

One can imagine a locksmith looking at such an assembly and noting that if the bronze sheathing were extended all the way around the wood core and the fastening of the hasp transferred to a slot in the lock case, a portable lock could be created. In fact, many Roman padlocks had a wood core, and several can be seen in this gallery. Additionally, the five padlocks recovered from the ruins of Pompeii and published by Biasiotti all have wood cores. The "Pompeii" type lock that he illustrates, (shown here) looks very much like a chest lock with the addition of a shackle!

One consequence of such a scenario is that it would have been necessary to dispense with the pin tumbler mechanism, which in the Roman version has a bolt that is too bulky for a small unit. The bolt now only moves a short distance inside the barrel, and the key that moves it no longer needs pins. This is not much of a change, though, since we know of both barrel locks and chest locks with T-shaped keyholes, presumably for warded lift keys, and with keyholes for a rotary mechanism.

An important description of Roman iron barrel locks and keys can be found in Ewald.  Sixteen such locks were found and examined at Augst.  Photos, x-rays and text are presented. A detailed drawing of the parts of one is given, and a reconstruction made.

Another interesting reconstruction of a Roman barrel padlock from Saalburg is shown above at right (historicallocks). It clearly illustrates the spring loaded bolt and its movement when a rotary key compresses the spring.

It should be noted that this hypothesis does not necessarily give this type of lock priority of invention over the iron barbed spring padlock, which has a completely different and generally more robust mechanism and case. The more sophisticated figural "face" padlock must have had still another history and is probably much later.

A variant of the fixed shackle barrel padlock is the chain lock. If instead of inserting the end of a hasp into the slot on the top plate of the padlock, the end link of a chain were inserted, a more flexible lock could be created, useful for large or irregularly shaped objects. This would usually mean that the slot would be larger than the small slot required for the end of a fixed shackle.

For few examples of the barrel/chain lock, the mechanisms have been worked out in considerable detail (Manning 1968 and Anstee 2001 There is also Jacobi, 1897, which I have not seen.)  They are complex and very carefully made, depending on springs and accurately fitted parts.  Study of these mechanisms inspires a great deal of respect for the Roman locksmith. Note that the mechanism shown in Manning (the Caerleon lock) as well as several examples shown here, are for rotary keys.

4650 a-g  This is a pill box shape chain lock, important for its apparently complete mechanism. The shapes of the parts are blurred by corrosion, so that I'm not 100% sure of my interpretation, but in figures 4650f and 4650g  I've shown how I believe it was constructed and operated.  Probably more could be learned if the corrosion were removed, but I'm unwilling to do that. Some observations follow:

1.  The fitting on the lower outside edge is a chain swivel

2.  The key was a barrel type, with the keyhole centered over the swivel. The key post was iron, now broken off.  The spring post is also iron

3. The top plate is a casting, which was joined to the case by soldering.

4. The case, sides and bottom, is a single casting. No joining marks visible. The lid is wider than the case, but there is solder residue on the underside which exactly matches the wall of the case.

5. The entrance hole for the other end of the chain is a slot in the side of the case. The chain was fine, with an end link diameter of not more than 0.25".

6. The locking assembly consists of a bolt mounted in a cradle.  The cradle is pinned into the side of the case at each end with iron pins.

7.  The cradle and spring prevent the bolt from rotating to release the chain link, so it must slide when the spring is compressed by the key, and rebounds to lock. It's not clear how it was kept in place vertically.

8.  The bolt has been damaged in antiquity, bent down by being struck with a something like a chisel.

9. There is a single decorative scored line around the outside of the case at the top of the shackle slot.

10. On the bottom of the case there is a central pit and two concentric circles for decoration,.

11. There is a dent in the side of the case near the top of the shackle entrance slot. This was done in antiquity. There is no corresponding damage to the top plate except for a small gap in the soldering residue.

4764 This is a barrel lock cover plate only, but has the rare distinction of having an inscription. (MARTINUS) Lift key type, traces of silvering. Note that the S is reversed. See also 5089

4854 a,g,i,l  Iron barrel/chain lock, remarkable for its size and as an iron survival. Don't know what's left inside, and it should be x-rayed.

4858 a,b  Pretty little octagonal bronze barrel lock with iron shackle and rotary key mechanism

4860 a,b,c Another "pill box" barrel/chain lock. The other end of the chain appears to have been soldered onto the back of the lock, and nothing remains but a roughened surface. The mechanism is bronze, and appears to be intact.

4875 a-h Elegant, sturdy barrel/chain lock, with obvious attachments for the chain. This is heavy, and I believe has a remaining wood core. I've so far refrained from touching the inside debris.

4877 a-f This is an extraordinarily delicate and complex lock, operated by a very tiny lift key. It was clearly a luxury item, meant more for display than actual security. There were originally two locking arms, of which one is missing. The dual shackle arrangement has no obvious purpose, except to be admired for its ingenuity. They fit into a T-shape post. Inside, the bottom hole in this post is also pierced by a locking pin, operated by the handle at the left. There was originally a wood core, of which pieces remain.

5103  Very similar to 4877, with a large amount of wood core remaining.  It's in very delicate condition.

DSPBIAS. Another such double-shackle padlock has been illustrated by Biasiotti in his CD on Pompiian locks. It has a different mechanism, barbed spring, but shows that the double arrangement of 4877 is not unique.

4898 a,b,g,h Huge, sturdy bronze barrel/chain lock. The inside is a maze of iron partitions, and I've not yet worked out just how the mechanism worked. The bottom plate is iron, with a chain link embedded in it. The case is of thick cast bronze, and this lock would not have required any wood core for support. I would say it was for actual security use, not a prestige item.

4936 d-l Pretty little barrel lock with a shackle, bronze "feet" on the bottom and an intact wood core

4943 a-h Another quite fragile lock, sheet bronze sides 0.013" thick Intact case, shackle and four original case pins, main lever and external center post. Very likely had a wood core

4990 This was advertised as a chest lock plate, but not so. The width of that rectangular slot is much to wide for a hasp, and is suitable for the end link of a chain. Also, this is a heavy plate, cast not cut from sheet. It is in fact the top plate of a barrel padlock, and as far as I now know, all round lock plates are the lids for barrel locks. The smallest hole, surrounded by a reddish stain, marks the mounting pin for an iron partition.

5089  I've inserted this cover plate just below 4764 because of the similarity.  This one still has the center boss. There are again traces of silvering, and the keyhole is a bit larger.  Note that this is not repousse; there are no traces of the circular decorations on the underside.

5231  Complete bronze barrel lock with rotary key 631.  The key turns, but the mechanism does not function. It ws probably iron and disappeared long ago. The key is a perfect fit and may be original. Not sure what the purpose of the notch in the shackle is. Perhaps for a close fitting chain link?

    Barrel padlocks, illustrations

Bronze face locks are among the most exotic and treasured of Roman locks. They are both very decorative and complex. Our understanding of these exotic padlocks has been greatly enriched with the 2009 publication of material from the Hanns Schell collection (Pall). There are to be found 17 locks or partials and information on the find places of some. To me, these origins origins suggest, but do not prove them to be from Roman imperial times rather than Byzantine.  This is an excellent collection, and The publication highly recommended..

Each of these locks is different. The images are many and varied. I've searched for similarities to Roman deities without success. It also turns out that many faces exist in several versions, as though they were traditional designs, interpreted by various artisans. It should also be mentioned that there are large numbers of mounts/appliques: for furniture, chariots, chests, etc. that have similar faces.

 In addition to my own locks (numbered), I've collected images from various other sources (assigned names). Here is also a quote upon such padlocks in the British Museum (Guide to the Exhibition): "Two other Roman padlocks illustrated (fig. 174) are more ornamental in character. One (No. 401) is in the form of a circular box with hinged handle, the free end of which was fastened by pin-bolts within the box. There is also a secret catch underneath. The other padlock (No. 402) is furnished with a chain attached to one side of it. The last link of the free end was fastened inside the box, the lid of which was closed with a secret catch. The head on the cover is that of a Sphinx, a hint that the riddle of opening it was not easy to solve. This padlock is especially interesting because of its analogy to the seal-boxes described below."

Warning - - - The high prices for this type of padlock have attracted the attention of fakers, and a number of different designs have come on the market.  For starters, best to consult artifakes for a listing of unscrupulous sellers on eBay. If I find reason to suspect any items shown here, they will be removed.

I have shown below an excellent drawing of the construction and functioning of a face lock (Maskenschloss). (Kenner). It is from Burghofe in Germany, but there is unfortunately no other information on its origin in the Handelsbank Feschrift paper.

4339 a,e,f,h There are provisions for a shackle hinge and a face plate opening hinge. This is a trick lock, with a bronze opening lever that is pretty much corroded away. There is also a keyhole, so I don't understand everything about this lock. The interior is empty, or nearly so. I don't see anything helpful.

4815 a-e Figure of a slave, depicted with bangs and a vacant expression. Bangs were sometimes worn by both men and women, even emperors, but the straight hair implies a non-Italian, a Gaul or German. Italian Romans generally had curly black hair. This lock is about as good as they get! There is a shallow hole on the bottom left side which is likely a keyhole. The shape would be ok if I could close the lid. All the exterior hardware is intact. Inside, a bronze spring post remains. The face with straight hair appears again below with 4876 and in a lock shown by Declerc.

4846 b-g This is a trick lock, no keyhole. Its security depends on a potential opener not knowing the trick, that is, not knowing that such a lock might have an opening lever. Image G is a side view showing the position of the lever, and of the hinges. Unfortunately, the three tabs at the sides and bottom have been broken off. A more nearly complete example can be seen online (1st-net-lock-museum)

4856a-j The classic Roman face trick padlock. The lock is open and seems to be complete, but I'm not sure I understand exactly how everything works. The iron bolt is still present and is in the closed position. There is no obvious keyhole, but only a narrow slot at the top side of the head (4856J) which could admit a strip of metal serving as a push key to move the bolt. I can see how a curved strip could move it both forward and back. There is a lever concealed in the bottom tab whose function seems to be to retain the catch on the underside of the cover. This lever is normally blocked by a movable panel next to it. However, it seems that in normal use there iwould be no reason to release the catch and actually open the lock. The simple "key" should be enough to move the bolt and lock or release the shackle.

4876 a-d Hinged face plate and opening lever. Iron shackle missing, but iron bolt in place, locked position. This is a curious image: the hair is curly but the beard straight.

4901 a-c Front face plate only. Strange features, with exaggerated nose and horizontal embossed lines perhaps representing a beard.

5067 a-d Front face only. The casting is much deeper than usual, since it must have contained the mechanism and keyhole for a relatively large key. The keyhole is curious, and the forked configuration implies that the mechanism was rotary, and so designed that the key would be turned either to open or lock, then withdrawn. The bolt, then, was not spring loaded.  5067B shows the small cast-in hole opposite the keyhole where the key post would have been mounted, but it is now missing. Also no stains from any iron components. I believe this to be Minerva, goddess of wisdom and the crafts.  Image 5067a also appears on the cover of The Antique Lock Collector for the issue of April-June 2006.

Menl This specimen from a British collection (finds.org.uk) is so similar to 5067 that I had to look at it carefully at first to be sure they weren't identical! No sign of a keyhole on the side, though, the face is rounder, and there other subtle differences in the modeling. Looks like it might have come from the same workshop, maybe by the same artisan.

UKDFD-3708  From UK Detector Finds database, face lock cover found in Dorset in 2006

YORYM-89CD53  Another British find of a figural padlock cover.Found in North Yorkshire in 2009.

5093  This is a complete trick lock with the same image as 4901.  The nose is a bit shorter, that's all.  The layout of the cover plate is the same.  I note that the bolt is a small diameter iron pin, here either retracted or rusted away. The iron opening lever is quite prominent at the bottom. The shackle still turns on its pin and opens part way.  I believe this bearded face represents the god Silenus.  A similar lock can be seen in the Pankofer collection.

5098  Face lock cover, unfortunately badly damaged in antiquity.  However, it is clearly the same general design as 4856, tiara and all.  After discovering three pairs with a common design, I'm beginning to wonder how many unique images were actually used.

5111  Have not yet identified this round faced lady with heavy hair.  The features are not as sharp as most, due to the artisan's work, not corrosion. This is also a cover, not the complete lock. The top hinge missing, but bottom latch intact.

5116   Complete lock, showing a male face wearing the close fitting felt skull cap, or pileus, of an artisan with a band at the edge. Worn at a rakish angle. This is a trick lock with the cover release lever at the lower right side. When open, that release lever can be seen still covering part of the hole for the cover latch pin.  The keyhole shows that it took a drilled key; the iron keyhole post is still in place, though quite rusty.

5121   Here's still another version of the comic character with the straight hair and exaggerated nose. This one is the lock cover only, and the features are a bit blurred by corrosion.

5124  Another version of the gentleman with the straight hair. A trick lock with the release lever at the bottom. This was alleged to be post 600 C.E., which might well be true.

5136  This was alleged to be a padlock cover. Much different in style and shape from the usual cover, and might really have been a pendant. It's so interesting, though, that I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

5138  Larger than the usual cover, but very attractive. Alleged to be the head of Medusa.

5173  Nicely done cover of unidentified bearded male

5200  Not in very good condition, but this cover shows again the character with straight hair, cut in bangs.

5226  This character also has straight hair and bangs, but has thicker, less attractive features. Lock is complete except for 5/8" off the locking end of the shackle (5226b). It is a trick lock, with a sliding panel shown near the bottom of 5226c. It could perhaps be opened, but I have not tried that. Figure 5226e shows most clearly the two slots at the bottom. The upper one is the latch release for the cover and the lower one is the protective inner cover for the mechanism. Figure 5226f shows the ends of the three iron pins which secured that mechanism. I presume the bolt is still intact, but

Zara-30   This is an example from the British Museum, as shown by Zara.  The face appears to me to be similar to 4815, 4876 and 5121, with the hair hanging straight down.

Kenner-2a through 2f   These are six images of  a face that I have not seen elsewhere.  I don't know who is intended to be portrayed here.    (Festschrift, Bayerische Handelsbank) 

Patxi-1  This one was found on a Spanish forum (miarroba), and I know nothing about it.  It does resemble other straight-hair images above.  It's also of special interest in having a key, the first I've seen associated with this type of lock.

Schm-1  A very distinctive figure that shows up occasionally is this grotesque mask from the Schmoeckel collection.  Perhaps it would be a satyr? Or a demon?

Face Figural Padlocks

Although Byzantine locks and keys are included in this gallery since they are "East Roman", the Byzantine state endured until nearly the end of the medieval period. By this time the eastern empire had become pretty much Greek and its relation to Old Rome had become somewhat tenuous, but the security hardware remains of interest..

The history of locks in dark age and medieval eastern Europe has yet to be written and there is considerable uncertainty about dates and places of origin of ancient and not-so-ancient spring padlocks with rotary keys. Padlocks in the familiar "modern" format seem to have been developed in the east.

In sorting out Byzantine locks from others, it is made difficult by the long period of time, vastness of area and lack of records. We must consider products of the so-called Byzantine Commonwealth: that is, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, Romania, Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and Belarus.

. There are many locks, keys and fragments that have been found by archeologists that would help in dating, but with few exceptions are not considered important enough to publish. The several types shown here are those that appear most often, although none are very common.

5060  was alleged to be medieval and

5172 "Roman". Sellers descriptions are notoriously unreliable for such items. Notice that this design is strikingly similar to

5221  which has Cyrillic markings. This lock was excavated in an old village in the province of Moscow. It's worth pointing out that that fan-shaped lower portion of the case is actually just a very broadened version of the "fishtail" that is a characteristic feature of so many Byzantine padlocks, as shown later.

Schm1-7  Byzantine padlock from the Ingo Schmoeckel collection.

Mand64 An interesting pair from (Mandel). The first lock is like 5172, and suggests to me where the belted configuration of Russian locks came from and the second is very similar to Schm1-7

SB-10  Byzantine padlock from (Vikan, Security in Byzantium)

Examples of this next type appear occasionally, and are all quite similar. They are variously described as Roman, Byzantine or medieval. I am assuming at this time that they are all late Byzantine.  Characteristics are: bronze with a sliding keyhole cover, usually missing, a "tail" projecting at the bottom, a round convex back, and scratched marking decorations overall. The front plate is joined to the rest of the body with rivets on the right and left, and two tabs folded over at top and bottom.

GW-2356, GW-2357, GW-3428  These are three views of the same spring-mechanism, rotary key padlock. It accompanied the Serce Liman tubular slide-key padlocks which are described and illustrated below.  The detail picked up in these casts is amazing. Curiously, 3428-A seems to have an oval medallion affixed to the case.

Mand70  An Ottoman lock of the 10th century, made in imitation of Byzantine locks (Mandel)

4897, 5062, 5175  Lock 5062 is peculiar for any time and place. It is evidently a special purpose strap lock.The following four padlocks seem related, since they share some of the following characteristics: The upper section is mostly empty shroud, with a cross brace near the top. They are fitted with a thin brass bushing around the keyhole, flush with the surface. There is an unusual cruciform key post.

5088 and 5129 are alleged to be Roman and Byzantine, respectively. Some sellers are very careless about using the word "Roman" as a more readily recognizable term than "Byzantine". I currently believe these two to be late Byzantine. I have seen a lock closely resembling 5088 offered for sale as "Swiss or German, 15th/16th century". I have seen a lock exactly similar to 5129 alleged to be from the 7th century, but that is so far just hearsay.

5176  Very similar to 5129, key post and all, except the belt is also on the front.

Byzantine Padlock  This curious padlock seems to have escaped notice. It from Vikan, and is a tiny detail of an 11th century painting of St. John at his writing desk. It appears to show a padlock with four separate shackles, for locking as many cabinets or drawers at the same time.

Schm2  I've included this image from Schmoeckel to show that the concept of four locks joined (see preceding entry) is not completely absurd. This is a relatively recent lock from Tibet. The four locks can be opened individually, but can be locked out by the master key

Russo  Close relative of the preceding group of locks, "tail" at the bottom, nub at the top shackle. Russo identifies it as Roman; no details provided. Extra nice, with that figural keyhole cover..

5198  Alleged to be medieval Byzantine. Somewhat over cleaned.. However the cleaning has revealed that the thin front and back plates were attached to the frame by brazing in addition to one rivet. The unusual shape seems to be just cosmetic. Don't know what the purpose of that slot in the side is.

Key 532  Also alleged to be late Byzantine, 9th-12th century. I've included it here because it is the type that fits the cruciform key post.

3913  5066 and 4779. I have labeled these next three padlocks as Russian and included them for comparison purposes. They are generally considered to be early Russian because of the Cyrillic inscriptions. However, note that the Cyrillic alphabet was invented in the second half of the ninth century C.E.
 

5169, 5171  Alleged to be Roman, but I'm not yet completely sure of when and where they were made. They are clearly the same lock as that labeled Lars/Leonard. This was found in (Larsdatter) and is a detail from a fresco of St. Leonard rescuing a prisoner, Zwickenberg,1400-1450. St. Leonard is thought to have lived in the early 6th century. I am assuming that these locks, and others of this type, are medieval.  That doesn't keep them from being Byzantine, of course, but I'm unsure of their origin.

5211  At some point, the Byzantines began to use tubular padlocks, of elongated shape. I don't yet know whether they developed or borrowed the design, but it differs from the known Roman rectangular iron slide key locks. They were made of iron sheet, rolled into a tube and overlapped, joined either by forging or brazing. They were often fitted with iron reinforcing bands, attached with brazing.  5211 is an example without such rings, but with another interesting feature: The bolt, with four springs attached, extends through the case and out the rear. The purpose of this is to prevent the bolt from being entirely removed, carried off and lost. This feature persisted and if found in some European spring padlocks of much later date. There is no key with this lock. It would have been interesting because it would have had to enter the T-shaped keyhole at the bottom and slide forward to compress all four springs, in the presence of the tailpiece!. That's physically possible, but tricky.. This lock is in remarkably fine condition, with all the iron springs intact and attached. All parts are joined by forging; no trace of brazing can be seen.

GW-3428  This is a most remarkable group of padlocks (Bass).  They were found during the under water excavation of a Byzantine shipwreck from the 11th century.  They were found as concretions, from which the original padlocks had vanished. What are pictured are casts in epoxy resin of the interiors of the concretions. There were four locks, of which three were shown.. The spring padlock will be shown in the next section. Because of the historic value and interest of these locks, I've shown them enlarged in GW-3428B and C. I know of no other examples of these tubular locks, although I suppose there must be some that have not been published.

Padlocks With Spring Mechanism

Russian

Padlocks With Slide-key Mechanism

Animal Figural Padlocks   

I'm still looking for information on the dates of these little Byzantine barbed spring padlocks. Nearly all examples that I have been able to obtain are half locks. The halves would have had to be joined by soldering, but no trace of that remains. Shackle/spring assemblies are missing. Still, these are delightful remnants, and I'm hoping to learn more about them.

International connections.  One problem in dating and assigning is that other states/cultures in the region produced such locks. Some locks that have been found in eastern Europe and considered to be Byzantine, may have originated elsewhere. For example in Volga Bulgaria in the 9th-10th centuries, "The characteristic elements of Bulgaria were . . . . bronze locks in the form of animals" (kcn.ru/history)  And another reference (russian brideguide) mentions a lock from the same period in the form of a butterfly, found in a barrow. 

Animal figural padlocks were in wide use in Iran by the eighth to tenth centuries.  Horse locks date from the 11th-13th centuries in eastern Iran. The example shown here (Tan19)  is from (Tanavoli) .  In addition, it is worth noting that there are numerous examples of horse locks from Britain from this period. The crusades (1096-1270 C.E.) supply a plausible means for the transmission of such designs. Shown here is a typical British horse lock with saddle (5049).  Another surely related horse figural is Seljuk dating to the 12th-13th centuries (anu).

It is easy to believe that the horse figural padlocks shown on this site and attributed to the Byzantines were contemporaneous with those from Iran and England, saddles and all. That is, they could well have all been made and used in the 12th-13th centuries. However, there is a reference that makes it plausible that middle eastern lock designs originated in Byzantium. Needham quotes a source in Basra from the ninth century C.E. to the effect that "inviolable" locks were imported into Iraq from Byzantium. It seems likely that they would have been copied by native locksmiths and become traditional.

I suggest, then, that all these horse lock designs originated with the Byzantines and were spread to the east, west and north. This seems to fit all the facts that we have at present.

5036 a,b This was billed as a "Byzantine padlock, in the style of English medieval barrel locks" I suppose that would be because of the characteristic stubby legs and pack saddle. De Clerc (Open of Dicht) shows a similar Byzantine horse with saddle)

5053 a,b  Not sure what kind of animal this is, but seems to be wearing some sort of harness.  And what of the marking on the rear end?  A brand?

5063a,b This sold as a Roman "furniture applique" but is obviously half of a dog lock, with barbed spring mechanism.

5078a,b Half of an animal figural, from the Balkans. The long, slender neck is familiar, as is the circle-dot decoration. The prominent, erect ears suggest a donkey or mule.

5079a,b Still another animal figural, this time from a fowl, perhaps a duck. The usual circle-dot decoration.

5082a,b,c This traditional dolphin is alleged to be a fragment of a lock.

5128  Very nice animal, this one with a rotary keyhole in the side.. Complete except for shackle/spring assembly.

SB-11  Another animal figural from (Vikan).

5166a,b  Byzantine horse figural. Remnants of shackle and barbed spring remain, broken off in their respective holes. Filled with some sort of mineral material.

Animal Figural Padlocks