DIY Scytale Cipher

A scytale cipher was originally used by the ancient Greeks and Spartans during wartime. They wrapped a cylinder in a piece of parchment to exchange secret messages with each other. You can create your own scytale to swap secret messages. Through this lesson, discuss how it relates to encryption (hiding information) and decryption (unveiling hidden information), and how these practices are still used in modern computer science. You need the right key (i.e. the right diameter cylinder) to decrypt a message on a scytale.

You can use any cylindrical object that you have on hand making this a great at-home or classroom activity!