When Was The First Security Safe In History Constructed?

//When Was The First Security Safe In History Constructed?

When Was The First Security Safe In History Constructed?

Of the many advanced security systems that are part of many modern businesses, one of the simplest and most effective is the fireproof safe.

Whilst the locking and unlocking system has changed from a key to a combination lock, electronic key combinations, fingerprint scanners and finally to modern smart lock systems, the safe itself consists of metal strong enough and thick enough to resist fire, explosions and breaches.

It remains a critical component of safety deposit systems, cash handling vaults and the protection of precious materials, but whilst it is mostly associated with the security boom brought about by the Chubb detector lock, the safe is actually much older than this.

Moreover, the pin tumbler locking system that many safes have historically used was developed thousands of years before it entered common use.

Lock On My Works Ye Mighty

Whilst the safe as we recognise it today is relatively modern in design, there has always been a need to protect items considered to be valuable, with various kinds of rudimentary vaults made from various makeshift materials including clay, wood or stone.

In combination with armed security and trap mechanisms, even a simple pin or knot lock would be enough to protect valuables, showcasing a remarkably sophisticated understanding of security and its importance even at the dawn of civilisation.

In terms of early adopters of security systems, perhaps no ancient civilisation prioritised security more than Ancient Egypt.

Whilst the most famous security systems they used were the labyrinthine tombs which housed the pharaohs of previous eras with an almost impenetrable level of security, they also innovated in the ways in which they protected the priceless artefacts and bodies of former kings.

In the 13th century BC, this perhaps reached an epochal point with a wooden box found in the tomb of Pharaoh Ramesses II.

By itself, this was perhaps not necessarily impressive, especially since wood is not exactly a particularly good material for making a safe given that it is easy to cut and burn.

However, what made it far more effective was that it featured a system of movable pins that dropped into holes that locked the safe in place.

The system was also used on doors, and whilst it could be easily defeated by uniformly lifting the pins, it was the earliest version of the pin-tumbler or Yale lock and was one of the lasting legacies Ancient Egypt provided architecture and security, only replicated over three millennia later.

What the safe contained is sadly a secret that has been lost to history, like so many parts of Ancient Egypt amidst the many different raids of Egyptian tombs that took place between the death of Ramesses II and the beginning of modern Egyptology, the lock itself is a treasure in and of itself.

It revealed the ancient nature of high-grade security in general and safes in specific, and whilst the safe would have been accompanied by other types of traps, misdirection and complexities, the central fundamental principle of the lock is remarkably sound for its age.

By |2025-01-21T05:32:23+00:00January 15th, 2025|Blog|0 Comments

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