crater, big, deep bowl with a wide mouth used in Ancient greece for mixing wine, most often with water. The crater was characteristically 12 to 18 in (30–45 cm) high and could be either painted pottery or made of bronze. The most remarkable example is the huge bronze crater, over 5 ft/1.5 m high, probably of Spartan manufacture, which was found at Vix in France (see celts).
