October
05
/ 2014
The Lycurgus Cup, as it is known due to its depiction of a scene involving King Lycurgus of Thrace, is a 1,600-year-old jade green Roman chalice that changes colour depending on the direction of the light upon it. It baffled scientists ever since the glass chalice was acquired by the British Museum in the 1950s, as they could not work out why the cup appeared jade green when lit from the front but blood red when lit from behind. Later research confirmed the effect was caused by interference produced by the interaction of light with metallic nanoparticles. Now the same technology used to produce the unique features of the Lycurgus cup are being used to create holograms made of tiny
