Which Locks Were Used in the Game of Thrones Era?

Have you ever wondered how advanced was technology in terms of security devices, back in the ancient times when the events described in Game of Thrones took place? Well, we have! As locksmith professionals, who constantly chase the newest technological developments in our sphere, while also being curious about the most ancient types of locks that people used, we at Get Locksmith feel rather curious even about locks that could possibly have been used in fictional stories, such as Game of Thrones!

The Oldest Locks Known to Mankind

The oldest type of lock that archaeologists have managed to find (in the area where now Iraq is located). The mechanism of that primitive lock was based on the use of a wooden bolt with a few holes in its upper surface area. These locks were used around four thousand years ago. Around that time, or a bit later, another type of lock was invented and used in ancient Egypt. Just like in the case of the aforementioned locks, the main difference between these locks and the locks that were used later (and are still being used nowadays) is that those locks were made of wood and not metal. Not only that but also the keys that opened these wooden locks were made of wood. The locks used in ancient Egypt can be considered a prototype of the pin tumbler locks that we use nowadays.

Old Locks, Used in the Western World

The most popular old type of lock that was used in the Western world is the warded lock, which dates to the end of the 9th century AD (hence the locks that we’d expect to be used in Game of Thrones are the older, wooden ones, used in the East). These locks were made of metal, but there was no significant technological progress in terms of locks design in Europe until the industrial revolution happened. In conclusion, until any new archaeological discoveries prove the opposite and older metal-made locks from the pre-2000 era are found, it would be logical to expect to see the characters of Game of Thrones using primitive, wooden locks and wooden keys.