Gold-plated Padlock
Location Karabalgasun
Dating 8th-9th cent.
Epoch Uyghur Empire
Material Iron
Technique Forged
Description
A gilded lock of enormous size, the total length is around 60 cm. It is made of forged iron that was gilded over its entire surface. The lock was found in the well of the citadel of Karabalgasun. In addition to the lock, the remains of massive planks with iron eyelets attached to them were also found. These were probably the remains of a representative gate that was closed with the help of the equally magnificent lock. It is unclear how the lock and the fragments of the gate ended up in the well. They were probably thrown in during the attack that led to the destruction of Karabalgasun in 840. Either to hide them from the advancing enemy or as an act of destruction of the palace by the conquerors.
3D Visualisation
3D Model: H. Rohland
Images: H. Rohland
Literature
Franken, Christina, Hendrik Rohland, Ulambayar Erdenebat, und Tumurochir Batbayar. „Karabalgasun. The Uyghur capital in the Orkhon Valley, Mongolia“. In Excavated Worlds. 40 years of archaeological research on four continents, 136–45. Bonn, 2019. https://www.dainst.org/documents/10180/15360/Excavated+Worlds.pdf/730b8c70-bb8d-c3bb-bfe6-dbbc4a0a9851.