KM350 (Roman Iron and lead rotary mechanism: pulley? wheel? lock?) [permalink]

Type

Inventoried Object

Logical part of

Inventoried Objects from the Greek-American Excavations at Koutsongila

Typological identification

Lock and key

Typological identification

Pulley

Comparanda

sim. BesnierBlanchet1900, p. 7, no. 4.1, pl. III:11 (cylindrical lock; northeast Algeria)

Comparanda

sim. DeRidder1915, p. 183, nos. 3538, 3539, pl. 118 (Louvre)

Comparanda

sim. Khamis2013, pp 127–128, no. BR62, fig. 64 (Zeugma, Roman)

Comparanda

sim. SardisM9, p. 77, no. uninv. 68 (M8 346–357, M8 368–378), fig. 368 (J. S. Crawford; Byzantine Shops E 11, before Late Roman-Early Byzantine)

Description

Tripartite rotary mechanism in iron and lead. Three disks of the same diameter, two iron (a, b) and one lead (c), articulate one over other. At center of iron disks are small circular cavities perhaps for rod or linking element that held them together. On outer surface of disk a are eight arc-shaped protrusions arranged in circles on the surface. Uncertain function: Pulley? Wheel? Cylindrical lock?

Preservation description

Nine joining fragments preserve (apparently) three entire contiguous disks but missing central linking element or hub. Slight rust; sparse encrustation.

Published as

Panelas2022, pp. 1070, 1071, 1095-1096, no. 724, fig. 22.15

Maximum diameter

0.068

Thickness

0.034

Chronology comment

Context dated mid-late 1st century CE

Material

Iron (Material)

Material

Lead (Material)

Drawing

Photograph

Photograph