| Summary: | This study addressed three plastic lamps from Sinop Archaeological Museum. Sinop province has had almost continuous settlement since the Archaic period, and its museum hosts rich collections. Plastic lamps are among the important representatives of mold made pottery; they started to be produced in the middle of the Hellenistic era, reached their glory and were used during the Roman imperial era. They present an extremely rich diversity. They can be shaped into various organs like a foot, head, or phallos; animals like monkey, black people, mythological figures or ordinary people. A grotesque approach could be taken or a realistic approach. The lamps were used in cult or religious rituals or in daily life. In addition to terracotta samples, others made of metal like bronze have also been found. The Egyptian, Italian, North African, and Anatolian workshops produced this type of lamps which reached a wide area. There are also lamps which were made as imitations of statues produced in their era or in previous centuries. Some favorite types were copied and could be produced in a similar or identical way in the widespread production centers. Thanks to their approaches or great artistic works that they imitate, preferred types shed light to the sociocultural aspects of life of their era. These lamps, which are of high quality work and are sometimes confused with coroplastic figurines, are also important as they indicate the sense of humor of people in their era and how different nations of people are able to have a seat in art. The three plastic lamps from Sinop Archaeological Museum addressed in this study were produced in the first century AD, and carried out typical characteristics of their era.
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