PĂTĔRA, _dim._ PĂTELLA (φιάλη), a round plate or dish. The paterae
of the most common kind were small plates of the common red
earthenware, on which an ornamental pattern was drawn, and which were
sometimes entirely black. The more valuable paterae were metallic,
being chiefly of bronze; but every family, raised above poverty,
possessed one of silver, together with a silver salt-cellar. The
accompanying cut exhibits a highly ornamented patera, made of bronze.
The view of the upper surface is accompanied by a side-view, showing
the form and depth of the vessel.
[Illustration: Patera. (From Pompeii.)]