Scientists at the University of Sheffield have recreated the ancient Roman recipe for dichroic glass used in the famed 1,600-year-old Lycurgus Cup, producing a modern sculpture with the same color-shifting optical effect. The cup appears green in reflected light and deep red when backlit, a phenomenon caused by gold and silver nanoparticles embedded in the glass—a mechanism discovered in 2007.
Background
The Lycurgus Cup, housed in the British Museum, is one of only 40 surviving Roman cage cups and is considered one of the seven glass wonders of the world. Its dichroic properties were long mysterious until nanoparticle analysis revealed the Roman artisans' accidental use of gold-bearing salts during glassmaking.
- Source
- Ars Technica
- Published
- Oct 27, 2026 at 09:32 PM
- Score
- 6.0 / 10