Iron key

The old security mechanisms proved resourceful and efficient systems, with an unchanged persistence over long. Only the necessary object to the opening the door (clavis) was made of metal (iron); the rest were mainly pieces of wood or with wooden core and coated metal plates for reinforcement and conservation.

Generally, the Roman houses had several entrances, which were closed with doors (fores) of one or two leaves. These doors were secured with crossbars, and also with simple and ingenious locks (clavstrvm).

In the case of the keys, the model best known for its abundance of findings and perhaps for its great antiquity, is commonly designated as "L-shaped".

This key was documented in 2011 hidden near a door of the building of the mosaic of Eros, a building that was under construction and was destroyed before completion, most likely as a result of damnatio memoriae. The hypotheses suggest that this key was used by workers during construction of the building, and it was hidden in a particular place for facilitate their access into each workday.