A ''lanx'' (Latin for dish) was a large ancient Roman serving platter.Lysons, Daniel & Lysons, Samuel
"Antiquities: British and Roman"
Magna Britannia vol 5, 1817, pp. CCIII-CCXVIII. Accessed November 26, 2007. Particularly ornamented ones were used to make offerings or sacrifices. Indeed, the silver Corbridge Lanx, the second discovered in Britain, has depicted on it a lanx itself, set beside various gods and goddesses:

Minerva Minerva (; ett, Menrva) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of strategic war. From the second century BC onward, the Roma ...

, Diana,

Juno Juno commonly refers to: *Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods *Juno (film), ''Juno'' (film), 2007 Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, in the film ''Jenny, Juno'' *Ju ...

, Vesta and

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

. Positioned atop an altar, "of a globular form". Fruit as well as sheep parts and "other small victims" were likely used. However, the exact meaning in this representation has not been determined. The inscription on the now lost

Risley Park Lanx The Risley Park Lanx is a large Roman silver dish (or lanx) that was discovered in 1729 in Risley Park, Derbyshire, and was later lost from view. In Roman times, a lanx was generally a large serving platter, about 15 by 20 inches in size.Lysons, ...

, which was the first lanx discovered in Britain indicated that it was "church plate."Johns, Catherine & Painter, Kenneth
"The Risley Park Lanx 'rediscovered'(abstract)"
''Minerva'' 2(6) 1991, 6–13.

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Further reading