The Tale of the Scytale

Here's a coding device that was used by the ancient Romans! It's called a scytale, which rhymes with "Italy", which is funny, because the Romans lived in ... Italy! The scytale doesn't so much use a code as create a way to hide a message. A scytale is simply a cylinder about which a long strip of paper is wrapped. A message is written across the paper, which is then unwrapped. The letters are all broken up, and can only be easily read when the paper is wrapped around another cylinder of the same size. Here's how you can make your own scytale:

What You'll Need:
2 cylinders of the same size, 1/2 - 1 inch in diameter (try using a marker)
Strip of paper 1/2 x 8 inches
Pen

Wrap the strip of paper around the cylinder as shown in the picture at right. Write a message across the paper, right over the edges. Unwrap the paper and look at it. How easy is it to read the message? Now re-wrap the paper around the other cylinder, starting at the end. The letters should line up, and the message re-appears! Try wrapping the paper around cylinders of other sizes, like a pencil or a paper-towel roll. Can you read the message using these scytales?

Do you think that this was a very good way to hide a message? Just go easy on those ancient Romans - this was very early in the history of secret codes!