The oldest keys known to exist date from around 4,000 BC in Ancient Egypt. These were simple wooden cylinders that were part of a mechanism to secure doors. By the time of the Roman Empire, metal keys were in common usage and had begun to adopt the recognizable pattern of keys today. This book tells the complete story of the key, backed by numerous photos from all time periods. Today, old keys are more than just security mechanisms. They are highly collectable artifacts that can either be artistically beautiful or coldly functional, but either way, they can help us unlock the secrets of the past.
- ISBN10 0852632541
- ISBN13 9780852632543
- Publish Date 8 October 1974
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 3 March 1998
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
- Imprint Shire Publications
- Format Paperback
- Pages 64
- Language English