Volute lamps that originated in the Hellenistic times were regularly produced and developed in Roman Imperial period. Their common characteristics were the nozzle with volutes and the concave upper surface (i.e.,discus) generally with relief patterns. They are mouldmade lamps. The most popular types of volute lamps with triangular nozzle termination were developed in the first century C.E. Their most popular form was the broad nozzled variant with reliefs but usually without handles. The production of these lamps started in the time of Tiberius and continued until the Flavian period. On the other hand the volute lamps with the rounded nozzle termination appeared after the volute lamps with the triangular nozzle termination. The latter had a rim which was wider than the former and had relief patterns, they were rarely left plain. Both were used throughout the first century C.E. in the Meditarranean and also in the Black Sea area. Dressel studied the volute lamps in Rome and first established their typology and chronology in 1899. Loeschcke divided the volute lamps into groups and made chronological division using the Vindonissa material in 1919. Loeschcke’s classification with minor modifications was applied by Ivanyi to the Pannonian material. Vessberg and Westholm established the typology and chronology of the Cyprus material in 1956. Perlzweig established the chronology of Athenian Agora volute lamps in 1961. Broneer studied the material of Corinth in 1977 and he divided the volute lamps into groups. Bailey published a catalogue of the volute lamps made in Italy in 1980. Phokaia being one of the twelve Ionian cities was a well known pottery production center of Western Anatolia, particularly in the Roman times. A significant amount of pottery dumps were found in previous Phokaia excavations. During the theater excavation in Phokaia in 1991, a substantial mass of volute lamp fragments was found. Our aim in this study is to present the volute lamps found in Phokaia and to determine their typological and chronological importance in Roman pottery. Volute Lamps of Phokaia, Typology and Chronology The volute lamps of Phokaia have two or three grooves on the rim enframing the circular discus which usually has a relief pattern and a small oil hole. However there also exist undecorated discus fragments. These lamps usually had handles with two grooves. They were made of orange-brown, micaceous clay. The slip colour, which was applied by dipping, ranges from orange-brown to dark brown, some had metallic luster or were mottled. All fragments found were over fired and the fabric was thin. They must have been considered defective and thrown away into the dump yard of the workshop. Within the Phokia material, three groups can be distinguished: A1. Volute lamps with triangular nozzles with a channel. A2. Volute lamps with triangular nozzles without a channel. B. Volute lamps with rounded nozzles. Triangular nozzle lamps of Group A1 and A2, have wider nozzles than those of Group B. There is a channel extending from the discus to the wick hole in Group A1. There is no channel on the discus of Group A2. The volutes are thicker and shorter in Group B and the nozzle end is rounded. The patterns used on the disci of the Phokaia material are floral designs, animal and human figures beside abstract decorations. Buds among the branches, short and long rays, rosettes, fishes, a lion attacking a deer, a frog, eagles, horsemen, winged Erotes, gladiators, a man riding a dolphin, the portrait of a woman and a few erotic scenes are encountered. It is apparent that some fragments produced from same moulds in the same workshop. The scenes on the Phokaia volute lamps are similar with the Italian, Cyprian and Tarsian lamps. Volute lamps were found in 1989 Roman pottery dumps area in Phokaia which included fifteen layers. This context is important for the chronology of Roman pottery. The earliest level in this dump belongs to latter part of the first century C.E. A similar example of Type A1 is found in this level. Also a lamp similar to Type B is found in the latest level which belongs to the beginning of second century C.E. The volutes enframing the nozzle is smaller than in Type B. Other useful contexts appear in the Erythrai workshop area in the Axos valley. During the 1988 excavation season, a great number of graves were discovered. In Grave 2A, bulbous unguentaria were found alongside the volute lamps. These are similar with the Siphnos material and belong to 75 C.E. The Tralleis Necropolis Area is also important for the Hellenistic and Roman pottery chronology. Both triangular and rounded nozzles types were found together in same graves in Tralleis. Volute lamps together with the bulbous unguentaria are dated to the third quarter of the first century C.E. The Corinthian cemeteries are also useful contexts for volute lamps. This form is encountered together with bulbous unguentaria in Corinthian graves and dated to the second half of the first century C.E.. As cited above, the volute lamps of Phokaia are all defective and produced by the same workshop. They were found outside of the analemma wall to the north of the theater in 1991. Some parts of the side entry of the analemma wall had been put out of use and was then used as a dump area of workshops over centuries. It is determined that the analemma wall was out of use before the middle of the first century. There was a dump on the upper level of the analemma wall, consisting of the cythrae, which date to the second century C.E. that set the terminus ante quem for the dump of the volute lamps. Triangular types (A1 and A2) appeared before the Type B lamps. The extending channel from the discus to the nozzle is an earlier feature in the triangular lamps of Type A1. This feature gradually dissapeared. It has been accepted that the type with a rounded end nozzle appeared later and both types were found together in the contexts dated to the middle of the first century C.E. The three types of lamps found in Phokaia implies that they were used within the same time period. It must be a time of changing fashions. However it should be added that the type with a triangular nozzle was out of use in the third quarter of the first century C.E. The scrolls of the volutes degenerated at the end of the first century and this change is not seen on the Phokaia volute lamps. Because of the similar examples from other centers and the contexts of Phokaia, Erythrai and Tralleis, Phokaia volute lamps must be dated immediately after the middle of the first century C.E.