Patera
Videos
In the material culture of classical antiquity, a patera or phiale is a shallow ceramic or metal libation bowl. It often has a bulbous indentation in the center underside to facilitate holding it, in
Patera from Georgia, likely depicting Fortuna (2nd century AD, Georgian National Museum)
Octopus and dolphin motifs on a ceramic phiale (510–500 BC, from Eretria, Euboea)
Cylix of Apollo, who pours a libation (Attic white-ground kylix, c. 460 BC)
Silver phiale with Amazonomachy (430-420 BC, Vassil Bojkov collection, Sofia, Bulgaria)
Libation
Videos
A libation is a ritual pouring of a liquid as an offering to a deity or spirit, or in memory of the dead. It was common in many religions of antiquity and continues to be offered in cultures today.
Patera
…In the material culture of classical antiquity, a patera (Latin pronunciation: ) or phiale (Ancient Greek: φιάλη ) is a shallow ceramic or metal libation bowl. It often has a bulbous indentation (omphalos, "belly button") in the center underside to facilitate holding it, in which case it is sometimes…
Buryat shaman performing a libation of milk
Egyptian tomb painting of a mortuary priest offering libation (1298–1235 BCE)
Libation on a musician's stele (332–284 BCE)
Libation basin representing the flooding of the Nile (2nd–3rd century CE)