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Patera

A patera was a shallow, round dish used in sacrificing grain to the gods in Roman pagan religious worship. Some recovered from archaeological sites are indistinguishable from a modern frying pan! It was commonly used on the reverses of coins in conjunction with a figure, usually the emperor himself, sacrificing over an altar. These allegorical figures indicated that the emperor was pious and conscientious in his duties to Rome’s gods.


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