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The Ancient Art of the Locksmith
September 5th, 2009 by admin
When considering church locks it seems particularly appropriate that the earliest depiction of a lock should be found on a bas-relief in an Egyptian temple at Kamak dating from 2000BC. Although not immediately recognisable to modern eyes, and being somewhat cumbersome in operation, it functioned effectively. The principle, that of raising pins to create a shearline to allow movement, was rediscovered by Linus Yale Senior in 1848 and further developed and refined by his son Linus Junior between 1861 and 1865 to give the pin tumbler cylinder lock so widely used today. The Greeks are credited with the invention of the keyhole, the point of a sickle shaped implement being inserted through a small hole in the door, and, with a slight rotary motion, closing or withdrawing a large bolt A Linear B tablet dating to 1300BC, excavated in Crete, was translated.
