6,400-year-old oven unearthed at Arslantepe Höyük

A 6400-year-old oven has been unearthed at Arslantepe Höyük, which was continuously inhabited from 6000 BC to the 11th century AD in eastern Türkiye.

The discovered oven is 2 meters long.

Located 7 km northeast of Malatya, Arslantepe Höyük is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The finds unearthed during excavations at the mound show that Arslantepe had a developed agriculture, trade and social structure.

Arslantepe Mound Head of Excavations Prof. Dr. Francesca Balossi Restelli said that the excavations in the western part of the mound have reached the oldest layers of Arslantepe. Restelli continued her words as follows:

“The Late Chalcolithic period dates back to 4,200-4,400 BC, where we found houses with 2 and 3 rooms and a hearth. It is a very beautiful oven, in very good condition, very big, more than 2 meters. The oven is for cooking. We think that different families used this oven. Not for a single house, maybe relatives used it together, it is a really big oven, not normal for a family. Excavations will continue for 2 months.”

Stone and bone seals found

Explaining that they excavated layers belonging to the late Chalcolithic period in the western part of the site, Restelli said, “We found seals dating back to 3,600 BC. One of them is made of red stone and the other is made of bone. These are also very interesting finds. Normally we find seal prints here, but this time we found seals.”

Cover Photo: Orhan Yoldaş/AA