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p>Minecraft: Lockdown lesson recreates ancient island tomb By George Herd BBC News

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p>Imagine an archaeologist and a bored girl in coronavirus lockdown. They share a common interest in exploring ancient tombs.

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p>The result? The video game Minecraft has recreated one of Wales the most important Bronze Age sites.

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p>It is the result of Dr Ben Edwards, from Wrexham and his daughter Bella 11.

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p>Their Bryn Celli models Ddu on Anglesey are now being shared with schools around the world.

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p>The models can be loaded into the block-building universe of Minecraft, and explored to find out more about both the site, Neolithic life and art.

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p>The burial mound dates back an estimated 5 000 years, and is the"passage tomb," or "passage tomb" which's entrance is perfectly aligned with the sun at dawn on the solstice of summer.

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p>Recent excavations at the site, as well as some conducted by Dr. Edwards, Manchester Metropolitan University archaeologist, have revealed that the burial chamber was constructed as a "henge".

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p>This was similar to Stonehenge and comprised of a bank surrounding an internal ditch, enclosed in a circle with upright stones.

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p>Dr Edwards has utilized the digs, in conjunction with researchers from the University of Central Lancashire and Wales the historical environment service Cadw, to painstakingly recreate Bryn Celli Ddu in the video game.

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p>It was then integrated in Minecraft's educational edition, which is used around the world to teach lessons in chemistry and computer coding.

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p>You can now add ancient Welsh history to the list.

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p>From cromlechs and cairns to cromlech Wales' ancient burial sites

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p>History of the world The Bryn Celli Ddu stone

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p>Why did the prehistoric era build so many hill forts?

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p>BBC Radio 3: Seren Griffiths, New Generation Thinkers on Bryn Celli Ddu

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p>"I knew that Bella had the educational version of Minecraft at her school near Wrexham and I had it at my university.

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p>Dr Edwards, who worked on different computer models of Bryn Celli Ddu, said that "So it was always in my mind for some time..."

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p>"It was never a major priority, but now you are in lockdown because it's the Easter holiday and you're at home schooling.

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p>"I just told Bella"Shall we take an opportunity to try this?'"

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p>The game is famous for being able to construct nearly everything out of blocks of graphics, creating huge worlds and playgrounds.

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p>Although it could be an actual game, Dr. Edwards used the technique of Bryn Celli Ddu seriously, and used actual geographical mapping data to recreate the landscape for Minecraft models.

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p>It includes the tomb as it might have appeared in the Bronze Age, and alongside it other burial mounds and pits that were discovered in the last few years.

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p>The artifacts found in rock art from Bryn Celli Ddu is also represented in the game, along with an illustration of what a Neolithic home might have looked like nearby.

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p>According to Dr Edwards Dr Edwards, the most difficult thing to build was not the burial mounds or house.

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p>He said, "It was planting trees."

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p>Each one was individually "planted" and tended by Bella and her father as part of the Minecraft world.

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p>Dr. Edwards admitted that Bella had to show her how to do various things since she uses it more frequently than I do.

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p>She eventually ratified the final version and said that it was "very real".

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p>Her father said, "And she knows because she used to go to the excavations also."

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p>Dr Ffion Reynolds from Cadw said that it was precisely children like Bella who would be the most benefit from the Minecraft model.

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p>"We were looking for creative ways of offering people a digital experience of Bryncelli Ddu," Dr. Reynolds who is normally be spending the summer months giving guided tours of the excavations to schools from the area.

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p>"This was a way of continuing our relationship with these schools, and offering them a way of 'visiting' the site digitally."

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p>Coronavirus restrictions mean that Cadw's sites across Wales are closed to the public, including Bryn Celli Ddu.

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p>It also meant that, for the first year in a long time, those who celebrated the solstice of summer weren't able to meet at the burial mound in order to witness the sunrise phenomenon on the mound.

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p>Dr Reynolds stated that access to the sunrise was possible through 360-degree videography.

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p>She stated that Cadw hopes to make the video available in the near future, as well as opening the site again to visitors.

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p>Those who have access to Minecraft at home or at school can now access the Minecraft website online - in peace.

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p>The Bryn Celli Du Minecraft world is available for free download from Hwb, the Welsh Government's resource for teachers. Also available from the Manchester Centre for Public History and Heritage. https://forums.com.bz/ </p>

p>If you're looking for a more serious experience Dr. Andrews and his colleagues have developed an app for augmented reality available for Apple devices, which will help users navigate the site - once it reopens.

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p>New excavation at the site of a prehistoric burial

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p>15 June 2019

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p>A new discovery at an ancient tomb

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p>23 June 2017

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p>Around the BBC

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p>BBC Radio 3: New Generation Thinkers

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p>Bryn Celli Ddu

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