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Minecraft: Lockdown lesson recreates an ancient island tomb Written by George Herd BBC News Imagine an archaeologist and a bored schoolgirl locked down by coronavirus. They share an desire to explore ancient tombs. The result? The video game Minecraft has recreated one of Wales' most important Bronze Age sites. It is Dr Ben Edwards from Wrexham and his daughter Bella who have done it. Their models of Bryncelli Ddu on Anglesey are now being shared with schools around the world. The models can be loaded into Minecraft's block-building world. You can also browse the site to learn more about Neolithic life and art. The burial mound dates back to about 5 000 years ago. Its known as the "passage Tomb" is in perfect alignment with the sun's rising on the summer solstice. Recent excavations at the site, including those carried out by Dr. Edwards, Manchester Metropolitan University archaeologist, showed that the burial chamber was designed as"henge" "henge". It was similar to Stonehenge and consisted of a bank that was surrounded by an internal ditch, which was enclosed in a circle by upright stones. Dr Edwards used these excavations, along with his work with researchers from the University of Central Lancashire, Wales' historical environment service Cadw to carefully recreate Bryn Celli Ddu for the video game. It was later integrated into Minecraft's educational edition that is used all over the world to teach lessons in chemistry and computer coding. You can now add ancient Welsh history to the list. From cromlechs and cairns – Wales ancient burial grounds History of the world The Bryn Celli Ddu stone Why did the prehistorics build so many hill forts BBC Radio 3: New Generation Thinkers' Seren Griffiths on Bryn Celli Ddu "I was aware that Bella had access to the educational version of Minecraft at school here, close to Wrexham and I had access to it at my college. Dr Edwards, who worked on different computer models of Bryn Celli Ddu in past years He said that "So it was always in my thoughts for a while..." "It was never a major priority, but now you are in lockdown and it's Easter time and you're at home schooling. "I just told Bella: 'Shall we have a go at this?'" The game is famous for players being able to build almost everything out of graphic blocks, creating massive worlds and playgrounds. Although it might appear like it was a game, Dr. Edwards was serious about his approach to Bryn Celli Ddu and used real-world mapping data to create the Minecraft landscapes. It also includes the actual tomb as it appeared in the Bronze Age and other burial pits or mounds discovered in recent years. The rock art found from Bryn Celli Ddu is also included in the game along with an illustration of what a Neolithic home might have looked like in the vicinity. Dr. Edwards said that the most difficult thing to build was not the house or the burial mounds. "It was planting the trees," he said. Each one had to be individually "planted" and grown by Bella and her father to become part of the Minecraft world. Dr Edwards admitted that Bella needed to teach her how to do a variety of things because she uses it more frequently than I do. She eventually ratified the final version and said that it was "very real". Her father said, "And she knows because she used to go to the mines as well." Dr Ffion Reynolds, who is from Cadw, said it was precisely children like Bella who would benefit from playing with the Minecraft model. "We were looking for creative ways of providing people with an experience in digital form of Bryn Celli Ddu." said Dr Reynolds who will normally be spending the summer months giving guided tours of the excavations to schools in the area. "This was an opportunity to maintain our relationship with these schools, and also provide them with a way to "visit" the website online."360 Degrees All The Way Around Coronavirus restrictions have led to Cadw's sites in Wales being closed to the public, including Bryn Celli Ddu. It also meant that, for the first year in years, people who celebrated the solstice of summer couldn't gather at the burial mound in order to observe the sunrise phenomenon on the mound. "However, it did allow us get access with a special camera crew and we've been able to capture the sunrise there with 360-degree videography," Dr Reynolds said. She stated that Cadw was hoping to make the footage accessible in the near future, and make the site accessible to the public. Meanwhile, those with access to Minecraft at home or at school can now access the site online in complete safety. The Bryn Celli Ddu Minecraft world is free to download the Minecraft Education version from Hwb the Welsh Government's teaching resource site, and also from the Manchester Centre for Public History and Heritage. If you're looking for an experience that is more serious Dr. Andrews and his coworkers have created an augmented-reality app for Apple devices that will guide visitors around the real site once it is reopened. New dig at the prehistoric burial site 15 June 2019 A new discovery in an ancient tomb 23 June 2017 Around the BBC BBC Radio 3: New Generation Thinkers Bryn Celli Ddu