Parabiago Plate
Ancient Roman silver plate with Cybele and Attis in a cosmic setting.
Discovered in 1907 within an ancient Roman cemetery in Parabiago, near Milan, this circular silver artifact—often called the Parabiago patera—now resides at the Archaeological Museum of Milan. Its surface features mythological figures, with Cybele and her partner Attis placed in a "vast cosmic setting" that includes representations of the sun, moon, earth, sea, time, and the seasons. When first unearthed, it was believed to have served as a lid for a funerary amphora.
Dating the plate has proven challenging. Early scholars, influenced by its classicizing style, typically assigned it to the 2nd century CE, but later stylistic features also allow for a more recent date. Technical analyses, however, point to a 4th–5th century origin, even though its appearance differs markedly from other silverwork of that era.
Weighing 3555 grams and measuring 390 mm in diameter, the plate sits on a foot-ring 26 mm high. Its surface is adorned with figures in high relief. On the left center, Cybele and Attis ride a quadriga drawn by four lions, accompanied by three Corybantes. To the right center, a nude youth rises from the ground, holding up a zodiac ring that encircles Aion, who wears a chiton and carries a sceptre. Further right, a snake coils around an obelisk or gnomon. In the upper left, the Sun ascends in his chariot, preceded by the winged, torch-bearing morning star Phosphorus. Opposite, in the upper right, the Moon descends in her biga, preceded by the evening star Hesperus, also winged and carrying a torch. At the lower center, four erotes representing the seasons hover above Oceanus and Tethys. Two river nymphs appear in the lower left, while in the lower right, Tellus is flanked by two erotes pointing toward Cybele; above Tellus’s head rest a small grasshopper and a lizard.
- Material
- Silver
- Weight
- 3555 g
- Diameter
- 390 mm
- Foot-ring height
- 26 mm
- Date (disputed)
- 2nd century CE (earlier scholars) or 4th–5th centuries (technical analyses)
- Place of discovery
- Parabiago, near Milan
- Current location
- Archaeological Museum of Milan
Lore & Background
The plate weighs 3555 g and measures 390 mm in diameter, with a foot-ring of 26 mm in height. Its surface is worked with figures in high relief. Center left: Cybele and Attis ride in a quadriga pulled by four lions, accompanied by three Corybantes. Center right: a nude youth rising from the ground holds up a zodiac ring surrounding Aion, who wears a chiton and holds a sceptre. Far right center: a snake twines around an obelisk or gnomon. Upper left: the Sun rising in his chariot, preceded by the winged, torch-bearing morning star, Phosphorus. Upper right: the Moon setting in her chariot (biga), preceded by the evening star, Hesperus, also winged and carrying a torch. Lower center: four erotes representing the seasons hover above Oceanus and Tethys. Lower left: two river nymphs. Lower right: Tellus, with two erotes who point toward Cybele; above the head of Tellus is a small grasshopper and a lizard.
Reader's Guide
The Parabiago plate is significant as a rare example of late antique silverwork depicting a complex cosmic and mythological scene centered on the Phrygian goddess Cybele and her consort Attis. Its iconography—including the Sun, Moon, seasons, zodiac, and personifications of earth and sea—reflects syncretic religious and philosophical ideas of the Roman imperial period. The plate is difficult to date: earlier scholars favored the 2nd century CE due to its classicizing style, but technical analyses support a provenance in the 4th–5th centuries, even though it bears little stylistic resemblance to other silver pieces from that period. This uncertainty highlights the challenges of dating objects that blend traditional artistic forms with later production techniques. The plate's discovery in a cemetery and its initial interpretation as a funerary amphora lid suggest a ritual or funerary function, though its precise use remains unclear. Its high-relief silverwork and detailed cosmological imagery make it a key artifact for understanding late Roman religious art and metalwork.
Did You Know?
- The plate was found in an ancient Roman cemetery at Parabiago, near Milan, in 1907.
- It depicts Cybele and Attis in a 'vast cosmic setting' with sun, moon, earth, sea, time, and the seasons.
- Technical analyses support a provenance in the 4th–5th centuries, though it bears little stylistic resemblance to other silver pieces from that period.
- The plate weighs 3555 g and measures 390 mm in diameter.
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