A krater or crater (Ancient Greek: ???t?? romanized: krat?r lit. 'mixing vessel' IPA: ; Latin: crater IPA: ) was a large two-handled type of vase in Ancient Greek pottery and metalwork mostly used for the mixing of wine with water. At a Greek symposium kraters were placed in the center of the room. They were quite large so they were not easily portable when filled. Thus the wine-water mixture would be withdrawn from the krater with other vessels such as a kyathos (pl.: kyathoi) an amphora (pl.: amphorai) or a kylix (pl.: kylikes). In fact Homer's Odyssey describes a steward drawing wine from a krater at a banquet and then running to and fro pouring the wine into guests' drinking cups. The modern Greek word now used for undiluted wine krasi (??as?) originates from the krasis (???s?? lit. 'mixing') of wine and water in kraters.