Roman padlocks: a newly discovered Pompeian type

 The theme is quite complex and I am unable to offer a full translation of the first part of the Italian text.

However, an examination of the pictures may be helpuf, as well as the reading of a most detailed illustration, offered by Lieutenant General Pitts- Rivers, F.R.S., in his paper dated 1883 (Chatto and Windus, Piccadilly, London).

The Pompei type padlock

As the reader may see from the previous description, the classical Roman padlock is quite similar to a number of spring loaded padlocks, still manufactured today in a very large part of the globe, that spans from the Moroccan Atlantic coast to China. In all countries of this part of the globe we may find padlocks operated according to the accurate description of Pitts- Rivers et alii.

Even the lock stored in the British Museum, reputed to be a padlock, is not similar to the specimens here after described, for lack of the protruding arm, where the hasp could slide.

The Pompei type padlock for the first time shows a quite different and more sophisticated layout, whereas a typical door roman lock is installed in the padlock's body. The size of the padlock is small and we may reasonably assume that it was not intended for use on large external door, but on door's leafs of limited size, such as found in the upper part of a Pompei "shopwindow".

I do not believe that such padlock would be used on large coffers, because the overall layout does not matches a locking action on the hasp of a hinged covering lid. On the contrary, it is quite appropriate to lock two leaves togheter, in exactly the same manner in wich even today in Southern Italy old shopwindows are locked togheter.

The ring left on the protruding arm of padlock no. 72184 appears as a credible confirmation of such theory.