A patera (Latin pronunciation: [ˈpatera']) was a broad, shallow dish used for drinking, or a chalice used primarily in a ritual context such as a libation. These paterae were often used in Rome.
Paterae are often depicted on Roman Imperial coins where Salus is holding a patera from which she feeds a snake.
In architecture, Oval paterae are also used as features on plaster friezes on buildings.[1][2]
Paterae were not confined to Roman practice. See the magnificent specimen from the Vergina (Aigi) tomb of Philip II of Macedon, 4th century BCE
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