Aweidah Gallery is pleased to offer this rare ancient Roman soft limestone patera with black paint pigment on the rim, dating from, 100 - 300 AD Patera, a round shallow dish or vase used by the Romans, (who adopted it from the Etruscans,) at their religious ceremonies, either in making libations of wine to the gods, or in recieving the blood of sacrificial victims. On Roman coins and other monuments the patera is placed in the hands of all the deities, whether of the first or of the second rank, as a symbol of the divine honors rendered to them, or in that of their ministers as an attribute of their functions. It also appears often in the hands of princes, to mark the union of the sacerdotal with the imperial power, effected through the office of Pontifex Maximus. For this reason the figure of the deity, priest, or emperor is frequently seen beside an altar, upon which he seems to be pouring the contents of the patera. In the more ancient periods, these utensils, always consecrated to religious purposes Measurements: Diameter: 13 cm - Height: 13 cm - Height on stand: 17.5 cm Condition: Intact, not repaired and not restored The dish or "Patera" is nicely displayed on a museum quality plexi-glass stand Found in Israel ALL ITEMS THAT WE OFFER FOR SALE COME WITH A CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY

Antiquities
Ancient Roman