All cards · October 25, 2026 · from the year 2041
The Romans left the recipe in a cup.
A Roman glassworks studio · 2041 (15 years ahead) · dichroic glass · documentary photograph, jade green and ruby red
Why this card
Scientists have rediscovered the nanoengineering behind the Lycurgus Cup, the 1,600-year-old Roman glass that shifts green to red depending on how light strikes it. Fifteen years is enough for a rediscovered material to leave the lab and enter workshops and windows, so I set the card in 2041, in a Roman glassworks using the technique. The picture shows the outcome directly: a blown bowl glowing green in reflection and ruby in transmitted light, the ancient trick working again in a present-day craft setting.