Keys and Locking Mechanisms Discovered in Graves from the Alburnus Maior and Apulum Cemeteries

Abstract

The analysis of graves could reveal information regarding the identity of the deceased individuals, the funerary rites that may have taken place, and the beliefs of the mourners. In this study were analysed seven graves: five graves (M53, M137, M222, M264 and M268) from the Alburnus Maior cemeteries, and two graves (G93 and M399) from the “Stația de salvare” and “Profi” zones of the cemetery situated in the northern part of the Municipium Septimium Apulense. Six graves include in their inventory one key and the last grave includes one bolt in the inventory. The keys have been used to secure possessions and public or private spaces by operating a locking mechanism, depending on the shape and pattern of the bit. In funerary contexts, the functionality of the keys may have symbolic meanings that can be related to certain deities which have these objects as attributes, or the keys and locking mechanisms may guard symbolically the possessions of the deceased person in the afterlife.