From the time of the Romans

Mystery about the manufacture of a miniature gold lock

Michael M. Rind, Director of LWL Archaeology for Westphalia, holds the archaeological find of a miniature Roman box lock between his fingers.(Bild: APA/dpa/Guido Kirchner)

It is considered a sensational find: a tiny, 1,600-year-old miniature gold lock. A prospector from the German region of East Westphalia discovered it in the ground in Petershagen on the border of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony in 2023. Further details have now been revealed.

The find, which measures just 1.2 by 1.1 centimetres, is considered unique in Europe according to the current state of research, as the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL) in Münster announced on Tuesday.

Souvenir from Roman military service
As there were comparable but much larger can locks of this kind in Roman times in the 3rd or 4th century AD, the LWL's chief archaeologist suspects that "perhaps a member of a local elite brought the exquisite gem back home with him as a souvenir or gift when he returned from Roman military service", said Michael Rind at the presentation.

Can it be made without a magnifying glass?
The find has now been technically examined using neutron computed tomography (CT) in Switzerland. By looking inside, the LWL was able to recreate the castle on a scale of 4:1. According to the LWL, many scientific questions remain unanswered. It is unclear how the extremely small piece could have been produced at all without the aids commonly used today, such as artificial light or magnifying glasses, and how it came to Westphalia.