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Security
Secret messages are used in war, to convey forbidden love messages, et cetera.
The required complexity of the coding techniques is relative to the opponent. Where illiteracy is rampant, a normal text will already look like code. During the heyday of the Islamic world, we see that with the increase in literacy, the techniques for coding and codebreaking developed considerably.
This Roman lock has a key, but no keyhole, until you solve a secret puzzle...
With its four centimetres, this small padlock is an impressive testimony of ancient Roman craftsmanship. There are about 160 known examples of this type of lock and the mask lids are very diverse.
Will you succeed in opening all the Roman lock replicas?
A Byzantine lock with two springs.
The keys of Roman locks do not always look like what we expect.
A key in the shape of a lion with the mold into which the key fits.
Enjoy exploring this library full of secret writing techniques from the ancient world.
We investigate how to break ancient codes, and we follow the search for better coding techniques. You can try out secret codes yourself or attempt to break a coded message.
The modern categories of coding techniques in this scheme were also used in antiquity.
Xerxes' planned invasion of Greece was betrayed by a spy, who hid his message under the wax of a wax tablet. Julius Caesar and Augustus replaced the letters of the message with other letters by shifting the letters over a fixed distance in the alphabet.
This is a tetradrachm, a Greek silver coin from the 5th century BC. It shows the head of the goddess Athena on one side and an owl on the other.
Do you know the function of the small ball markings around the circumference of this coin?
Outside/front
Outside/back
Inside
This Roman military diploma consists of two bronze plates connected by rings. Such a diploma was awarded upon a soldier's discharge from the army and granted special rights.
The witnesses who were present at the sealing of the diploma are engraved on the 'outside/front'. In the center a retractable half-cylinder protects the seals from mechanical damage.
The 'outside/back' contains the text of the diploma.
The text on the sealed 'inside' is a copy of the text on the 'outside/back'. In the event of a legal dispute, the seals were broken and the text on the 'outside/back' was compared with the text on the 'inside'. In case the texts were different, this proofed the text on the 'outside/back' was forged.
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