The Roman gold lock that a metal detectorist discovered in Germany may be small, miniature even, but it's no trivial find.

Learn what this Roman emperor's secret garden meant to Roman society and why the discovery speaks to ancient Roman life.

Ancient Greek art and culture have become cornerstones ... Both civilizations richly decorated their pottery and metal vessels. The Minoan vessels were slightly more decorative and often used ...

Remember those mini locks we used when we were kids to keep our diaries safe? It seems like the ancient Romans may have also delighted in such miniature objects. A metal detectorist in Germany has ...

The cylindrical device measures less than one-half inch in diameter, and has been identified as a 1,600-year-old miniature version of a Roman lock, which were usually much larger and made of iron ...

The extremely delicately crafted gold and iron box lock measures only 1.1 cm x 1.2 cm and must have been made by a highly specialized craftsman/locksmith in the Roman provinces. Credit: LWL /S.

The find looked like a miniature version of some other ancient Roman artifacts — and left archaeologists stunned. Constantin Fried visited a field in Petershagen in 2023 to search the area with ...