During Medieval times, Cyprus was the epicenter of Mediterranean civilization. And, now, Cyprus-based manufacturers of DLP 3D printers Illos3D has teamed up with the Historical Atlas of Medieval Cyprus project to create an awesome 1:72,000 scaled replica down to the tiniest detail.
The Kolossi castle, which housed many knights and architectural artifacts, has suffered the ravages of time, and the castle and its artifacts are pretty dilapidated these days. As a result, a lot of information about daily life in medieval Cyprus is scattered throughout different libraries, so it’s difficult to paint a comprehensive picture. What did the ship that brought Berengaria of Navarre, wife of Richard I and his sister Joan to Cyprus look like? What did the ancient castles of Famagusta and the Kyrenia range look like? What did it look like when Richard the Lionheart invaded the castle with his wretched occupying forces, ravaged it, raised taxes and sold it to the Knights Templar?
Today, the small country is home to about 1 million people, and few around the world are aware of its historical importance to European civilization. The Historical Atlas project gathered as much information as possible from available sources – drawing, prints, pieces of written chronicles – and, with the help of Kiprnform.com and Cyprus Inform tourism, the project was under way. The group realized that some of the best techniques available to recreate the look, feel, architecture and characters of historic lore was to employ modern 3D technology, including 3D printing.
This is where Illos3D, came into the picture. 3D printing the entirety of Cyprus as it stood, while occupied by Richard the Lionheart, was something that CEO Demetris Zavorotnitsienko wanted to be a part of.
“Helping to create the models, buildings and other items in the Historical Atlas’s large diorama of the entire Cyprus island, taken from medieval times of Richard the Lion Heart and his bride Verengaria was a pleasure to work on. It will make anyone who lives in Cyprus proud to have such heritage. I definitely recommend a visit to anyone who is interested,” said Demetris.
If you find yourself in Limassol, Cyprus, and want to check out the exhibit, it’s open 12 hours a day from 8am to 8pm. Tickets cost €8 for children and €14 for adults.
