GILDED SILVER · LIBATION AND PRESTIGE

Patera from Perotito

A wolf among centaurs

This ritual vessel combines a wolf, serpents, hunting scenes and musician centaurs.

Museum documentation · free public access, no account required.

Perotito patera: interpretative reconstruction on black background based on the original MAN photograph 1917-39-1. — **RECONSTRUCTION FROM THE ORIGINAL · AI · CC BY-SA 3.0**
Reconstruction · Declared visual hypothesis
Interpretative reconstruction with AI from Luis García's photograph (Zaqarbal). CC BY-SA 3.0. Changes: black background, lighting and superficial conservative cleaning; limited gold hue. It is not an archaeological photograph nor a certified restitution. Microdetails, finish and colour are interpretative approximations.
Tracekeepers / OpenAI ImageGen; source photograph: Luis García (Zaqarbal) · National Archaeological Museum of Spain · Inventory: MAN 1917-39-1 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Source and provenance ↗Terms of use ↗

**RECONSTRUCTION FROM THE ORIGINAL · AI · CC BY-SA 3.0**
Reconstruction · Declared visual hypothesis
Interpretative reconstruction with AI from Luis García's photograph (Zaqarbal). CC BY-SA 3.0. Changes: black background, lighting and superficial conservative cleaning; limited gold hue. It is not an archaeological photograph nor a certified restitution. Microdetails, finish and colour are interpretative approximations.
Tracekeepers / OpenAI ImageGen; source photograph: Luis García (Zaqarbal) · National Archaeological Museum of Spain · Inventory: MAN 1917-39-1 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Source and provenance ↗Terms of use ↗

History and context

At the centre, a wolf's head opens its mouth over a human head, surrounded by serpents. Around it advance hunting scenes and a procession of musician centaurs. The rim and figure details were gilded to respond to light during handling.

The piece makes visible a connected Mediterranean. Its artisans and owners combined motifs with Iberian parallels and a Hellenistic repertoire without thereby becoming Greeks. Using foreign images was also a local way of building power.

Evidence and interpretation

Documented fact: material, technique, iconography and belonging to the Perotito Treasure are in the MAN catalogue. Interpretation and caution: its ritual function is well supported, but the exact meaning of the wolf, the head and the centaurs is not preserved as a written Iberian explanation.

Catalogue facts

Narrative date: Second half of the 2nd–beginnings of the 1st century BCE
Location: Perotito, Santisteban del Puerto (Jaén)
Material: Silver repoussé with gilding
Context: Prestige tableware · possible ritual use
Classification: Iberian collection or explicit interpretive resource
Visual reference: National Archaeological Museum · photograph and label of the Perotito patera

A SHARED TOPIC, DIFFERENT MOMENTS

Objects connected through time

Follow a topic across the collections. A shared tag is a way to compare objects, not proof that one culture influenced another.

The order uses the midpoint of each approximate date range; ranges can overlap. Spacing does not represent elapsed time. Swipe, scroll or use the arrows. With the sequence focused, use ← / →, Home or End.

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Second half of the 2nd–beginnings of the 1st century BCE

Patera from Perotito

Iberians

The full 2nd–1st centuries BCE provide broad limits for chronological ordering; the record specifies the second half of the 2nd century and the early 1st.

Current record

Silver19 dated objects

18 / 19In the centre: Patera from Perotito

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Gold

The Gold of Varna · Towards 4600–4200 BCE · Thracians
Puabi headdress · ca. 2600–2450 BCE · Sumer
The goat from PG 1237 · ca. 2600–2400 BCE · Sumer
Before Phoenicia · 20th–18th centuries BCE · Phoenicians
Tutankhamun's grave goods · death towards 1323 BCE · Ancient Egypt
Stag Vessel · 14th–13th centuries BCE · Hittites
Valchitran · second half of the 14th century–beginning of the 13th century BCE, according to NAIM; other publications use wider intervals from the Late Bronze. · Thracians
Before the Iberias · Final Bronze, c. 1000 BCE · Iberians
Tomb 1 at Kuntur Wasi · c. 800 BCE · Pre-Inca cultures
Kushite king · c. 721–664 BCE · Nubia, Kerma and Kush
Gold at Kuntur Wasi · c. 800–550 BCE · Pre-Inca cultures
Regolini-Galassi tomb · ca. 675–650 BCE · Etruscans and Rome
Condomina Earring · 6th century BCE · Iberians
Uni was also Astarte · Towards 510 BCE · Etruscans and Rome
Ezerovo Ring · 5th century BCE · chronology discussed in the bibliography · Thracians
Coțofenești helmet · Second half of the 5th century – beginning of the 4th century BCE · Thracians
A battle on a comb · Early 4th century BCE · Scythians and Saka
The Kul-Oba vase · 4th century BCE · Greek worlds
The Solokha gold comb · 4th century BCE · Greek worlds
The archer in gold · Type introduced from the late 6th century; specimen from the 4th century BCE. · Achaemenid Persia
Treasure of Jávea · 4th century BCE · Iberians
Susa grave goods · c. 350 BCE · Achaemenid Persia
Thoth in the form of a baboon · 664–30 BCE · Ancient Egypt
Faces of the Steppe · Second half of the 4th century BCE · Scythians and Saka
Poroina Mare Rhyton · Second half of the 4th century BCE · Thracians
Treasure of Cheste · Jewellery from the 4th–3rd centuries BCE; concealment at the end of the 3rd century BCE. · Iberians
Marina Alta Hoard · Jewellery: 5th–2nd centuries BCE; concealment probably around 80–73 BCE. · Iberians
Panagyurishte · late 4th century – early 3rd century BCE, towards 300 BCE · Thracians
Mairena Hoard · 3rd century BCE · Iberians
Patera from Perotito · Second half of the 2nd–beginnings of the 1st century BCE · Iberians — You are viewing
Moulds for gold · 9th–11th centuries CE · Mande Worlds
Gold rhinoceros · ca. 1220–1290; found in 1933 · Bantu-speaking worlds

Vessels

Before Sumer · mid-6th–5th millennium BCE · Sumer
Twin-chambered vessel from Cova de l’Or · Early Neolithic · VI–V millennia BCE · Prehistory
Before Egypt · ca. 4400–3800 BCE · Ancient Egypt
Before Nubia · V–IV millennium BCE · Nubia, Kerma and Kush
Before Gojoseon · Middle Neolithic, c. 4000 BCE · Gojoseon and early Korea
Bevel-rimmed bowl · ca. 3500–3000 BCE · Sumer
Uruk Vase · ca. 3300–3000 BCE · Sumer
Before Yayoi · Middle Jōmon, ca. 3000 BCE · Yayoi Japan
Vasiliki · ca. 2500–2200 BCE · Greek worlds
Before the Greeks · c. 2400–2200 BCE · Greek worlds
Before Ancient China · c. 2500–2000 BCE · Ancient China
Longshan · c. 2500–2000 BCE · Ancient China
Kerma vessel · c. 1802–1640 BCE · Nubia, Kerma and Kush
Grave Circle A and Chrysolakkos · 18th–16th centuries BCE · Greek worlds
Before Vedic India · c. 1900–1300 BCE · Vedic and later Indian worlds
Jue · c. sixteenth century BCE · Ancient China
Pithos · c. 1450–1375 BCE · Greek worlds
Tutankhamun's grave goods · death towards 1323 BCE · Ancient Egypt
Stag Vessel · 14th–13th centuries BCE · Hittites
Valchitran · second half of the 14th century–beginning of the 13th century BCE, according to NAIM; other publications use wider intervals from the Late Bronze. · Thracians
Liding · 12th–11th centuries BCE · Ancient China
Before the Iberias · Final Bronze, c. 1000 BCE · Iberians
Grey bowl from Hastinapura · c. 1100–800 BCE in the classical sequence of Hastinapura · Vedic and later Indian worlds
Before Etruscans and Rome · ca. 850–800 BCE · Etruscans and Rome
The urn under the helmet · 9th–8th centuries BCE · Etruscans and Rome
Tomb 1 at Kuntur Wasi · c. 800 BCE · Pre-Inca cultures
Regolini-Galassi tomb · ca. 675–650 BCE · Etruscans and Rome
The great Greek krater of Vix · ≈530–500 BCE · Greek worlds
Scorțaru cauldron · 6th–5th centuries BCE · Thracians
Vix Tomb · c. 500 BCE · Celtic worlds
Orpheus among the Thracians · circa 440 BCE; attributed to the London Painter E 497. · Thracians
Twenty-six voiceless signs · 5th–4th centuries BCE · Scythians and Saka
Rogozen · mainly 5th–4th centuries BCE; The set has a history of accumulation, not a single manufacturing date. · Thracians
Grave goods of Baza and Toya · First half of the 4th century BCE · Iberians
The Attic krater that took on a new life in Cástulo · 4th century BCE · Greek worlds
The silver amphora of Chertomlyk · 4th century BCE · Greek worlds
The Kul-Oba vase · 4th century BCE · Greek worlds
Faces of the Steppe · Second half of the 4th century BCE · Scythians and Saka
Poroina Mare Rhyton · Second half of the 4th century BCE · Thracians
Borovo · 4th century BC C.; 350–300 BCE in the ISAW catalog. · Thracians
Leipzig Fish Plate · Last third 4th–early 3rd century BCE · Greek worlds
Golyamata Kosmatka · End of the 4th century – beginning of the 3rd century BCE; ritual burial at the beginning of the III according to Iskra. · Thracians
Panagyurishte · late 4th century – early 3rd century BCE, towards 300 BCE · Thracians
Dove of the Amarejo · 3rd century BCE · Iberians
Mairena Hoard · 3rd century BCE · Iberians
Vase from Chão de Lamas · Piece: III–II centuries BCE · concealment ≈110–76 BCE · Iberians
Vas dels Guerrers · 3rd–early 2nd century BCE · Iberians
Warriors' Vase · 3rd–2nd centuries BCE · Iberians
The dismantled cauldron · 2nd–1st centuries BCE · Celtic worlds
Kalathos of Alcorisa · 2nd–1st centuries BCE · Iberians
Patera from Perotito · Second half of the 2nd–beginnings of the 1st century BCE · Iberians — You are viewing
Urewe vessel · regional range c. 800 BCE–650 CE · Bantu-speaking worlds
Two rows of coffins · Mainly Middle Yayoi, 2nd century BCE–1st century CE · Yayoi Japan
Ceramics that continued · Last third of the 2nd century BCE–1st century CE · Iberians
Roman glass oinochoe · Late 1st century BCE–early 1st century CE · Etruscans and Rome
Gladiators Cup of Chavagnes · 25–75 CE · Etruscans and Rome
Egyptian oil lamp with a fish, held in Laon · 3rd–4th centuries CE · Ancient Egypt
Laon lamp with fish · 3rd–4th centuries CE · Etruscans and Rome
Water in a shell · 1816–1826 · San histories

Without a comparable date (not part of the chronological order):

A Kerma vessel deposited at Abydos · Second Intermediate Period · Ancient Egypt
A tradition that invents · collected in 1993 or 1995 · Batwa / Twa histories
A vase travels; the rite changes · No individual dating published on this record · Iberians
Early pottery · before ca. 9400 cal BCE · Mande Worlds
Liédena Flask · Roman period · individual chronology not published in the entry · Etruscans and Rome
Made in Garama · I millennium BCE–I millennium CE · Garamantes
Oil in a calabash · ca. 1947 · Batwa / Twa histories
The unfinished gesture · 1947 · Batwa / Twa histories
Travelling objects · Mainly Roman period · Garamantes
Urns from Adichanallur · Iron Age · samples towards 665 and 467 BCE · Vedic and later Indian worlds
Vessels without a language · Urewe, broad regional range ca. 800 BCE–650 CE · Bantu-speaking worlds

Embossing

Banqueting

The great Greek krater of Vix · ≈530–500 BCE · Greek worlds
Rogozen · mainly 5th–4th centuries BCE; The set has a history of accumulation, not a single manufacturing date. · Thracians
Borovo · 4th century BC C.; 350–300 BCE in the ISAW catalog. · Thracians
Panagyurishte · late 4th century – early 3rd century BCE, towards 300 BCE · Thracians
Vase from Chão de Lamas · Piece: III–II centuries BCE · concealment ≈110–76 BCE · Iberians
Patera from Perotito · Second half of the 2nd–beginnings of the 1st century BCE · Iberians — You are viewing

Without a comparable date (not part of the chronological order):

The Banquet of Seuthes II · Towards 400 BCE. Anabasis episode · Thracians

A closer look

About 1 min to read · 1 section. Further reading and sources · free access. Editorial review recorded: September 5, 2026.

When a ritual tableware could become a silver reserve

The National Archaeological Museum notes that part of the jewellery and ornaments from the treasure appeared fragmented and crushed. This condition has led to the proposal that the set was buried for the value of its metal, although the patera may have had a ritual function. A single piece could change meaning and use before being hidden. Its decoration was obtained by working the sheet from the reverse, using repoussé. The scenes allow the study of a funerary repertoire; the conditions of the discovery raise another distinct question: why someone decided to gather and hide that silver.

Museum · National Archaeological Museum · Iberian silver patera. The transition to the AfterlifeAccess recorded: September 5, 2026.

Reference images and provenance

Photograph of the original: Perotito patera, MAN 1917-39-1. — **ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH · Luis García (Zaqarbal) · CC BY-SA 3.0**
Documentary photograph without semantic retouching. Preserves the condition and visible details of the reference piece.
Documentary original · Exact correspondence
Luis García (Zaqarbal) · National Archaeological Museum of Spain · Inventory: MAN 1917-39-1
Image provenance CC BY-SA 3.0

Where it is held

Museo Arqueológico Nacional (Madrid)

Item or group in the record · Permanent exhibition

Room 11 · display case 11.19.

The holding institution is documented; public display may change. Check its official record before visiting.

Sources and references

Expand this information and consult its provenance

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Patera from Perotito

History and context

Evidence and interpretation

Catalogue facts

Objects connected through time

Patera from Perotito

The goat from PG 1237

Stag Vessel

Before the Iberias

Twenty-six voiceless signs

Rogozen

The silver amphora of Chertomlyk

Treasure of Jávea

Thoth in the form of a baboon

Poroina Mare Rhyton

Borovo

Falcata from Almedinilla

Treasure of Cheste

Mairena Hoard

Chão de Lamas pectoral

Vase from Chão de Lamas

Horse fibula

The dismantled cauldron

Patera from Perotito

Denarius of Carisius

A closer look

When a ritual tableware could become a silver reserve

Reference images and provenance

Where it is held

Museo Arqueológico Nacional (Madrid)

Sources and references

Did you enjoy this exhibit?