Researchers recreate the optical effects of the 1,600-year-old Lycurgus Cup in a sculpture

Researchers at the University of Sheffield have worked out how to reproduce the glass recipe used to make the Lycurgus Cup, a roughly 1,600-year-old Roman artifact. The cup is famous for changing color depending on the light, appearing green when lit from outside and red when lit from within. Using this recreated glass, the team built a sculpture that reproduces the cup's unusual optical effects. The project shows that modern scientists can replicate ancient glassmaking techniques that had long been lost.