The Lycurgus Cup

The Lycurgus Cup


Lycurgus Cup
Made during the 4th Century Roman Empire, the Lycurgus cup is another example that shows how far our ancestors were ahead in their time.
This magnificent cup is the only surviving complete example made of dichroic cup that changes colour depending on which side you shine the light through. It ranges from translucent red to opaque green. The cup’s glass contains tiny proportions of nano particles of gold and silver
The glass contains tiny amounts of colloidal gold and silver, which give it these unusual optical properties. They were so advanced that maybe they were the first inventors of nanotechnology. Although the technology was long lost, we were able to recreate it using 3D printing technology with small traces of gold and silver which gave a “dichroic” effect but not quite dichroic glass.



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