Patera in Græco-Roman Egypt; Religious Symbolism and Artistic Representation

The patera was a circular, shallow dish used by the Romans, who borrowed it from the Etruscans, during their religious ceremonies. It was used for offering wine libations to the deities. A number of these vessels were intended for religious worship, though the nature of this worship remains unknown. Some of these vessels were offered as gifts without any explanation of the purpose behind their offering .The aim of this research is to explore the religious functions of the patera and its association with gods and goddesses, whether Egyptian or Greek. Furthermore, the patera was associated with certain celebrations of the gods such as; the cult of the Apis bull and was presented as a votive object. This research aims to trace the religious and funerary symbolism of this sacrificial bowl according to its artistic context. Furthermore, the paper throws the light on the iconography of the paterae on various artistic domains in Egypt including funerary stelae, divine statues and coins as well as surviving paterae objects.