Ancient Romans had a cup that changed colors depending on your viewing angle!

The ancient Romans were pretty advanced for their time, so advanced that they may even have been pioneers of what we now call nanotechnology.

In fact, an ornately decorated Roman artifact, known as the Lycurgus cup, is inspiring researchers to explore practical applications of the ancient technology.

Created sometime in the Fourth Century, the goblet exhibits a color-changing property that makes it's glass take on different hues, depending on the light source.

Scientists were long at a loss to explain the cup's color changes. Then in the 1990s they discovered tiny particles of silver and gold in the cup's glass.

Now, a research team is attempting to build upon the unique technology and apply it in the medical field.