Bidspirit auction | A 6th Century Padlock

A 6th Century Padlock - It is a padlock from Hegra, a World Heritage site in Saudi Arabia - the largest conserved site by the Nabataeans south of Petra in Jordan.. . The Ghassanids looked after the northern Hijaz region in the 6th century CE (roughly 529 CE to 636 CE). . They were the imperial guardians for the Byzantine Empire (the Eastern Roman Empire) and served directly under the authority of the Byzantine emperors in Constantinople. . The Ghassanids were Miaphysite Christians (often referred to by historians as Syrian Orthodox or Jacobite Christians) - explainging why the lock is shaped like a cross. . As the primary crossroads on the ancient Incense and Spice Route, Hegra was a massive fortified trading post, oasis, and storehouse. Valuable luxury goods, vital survival provisions, and funerary offerings were stored across its residential, military, and ritual sectors. . This is the padlock to one of those stores and was found in Hegra in the 70s/80s, discarded on the floor outside one of the icredible buildings.