Authentication methods are older than you might think. They used two factor authentication back in Rome during the late republic years.

Wealthier patrician households shared mail centers to retrieve messages sent from other provinces. When entering the mail center, you had to provide a series of code words that were changed every time new consuls were chosen. Then if the code words were accepted, the mail house would take a print of the right thumb and compare it against ink prints on file. If a patrician hadn't visited a mail house in a while, there was a third step to make extra sure of the patrician's authenticity. He would be shown a series of drawings, and would have to identify which ones contained buses.