Arslantepe Ruins, Malatya. Credit: Zeynel Cebeci / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Archaeologists in eastern Turkey, at Arslantepe Mound, have uncovered a 3,000-year-old oven used for cooking meat, offering rare insight into food traditions from the Late Hittite period.
Arslantepe Mound in Malatya is a UNESCO World Heritage site that has long provided insights into ancient Anatolian politics and culture. The latest find highlights the role of food preparation in daily life.
Underground installations
Francesca Balossi Restelli, head of the Arslantepe excavation team, explained that researchers uncovered two tandoor-like structures inside a Late Hittite building. Unlike ordinary tandoors, these ovens were built below ground.
Excavators also found baked clay oven bases and a large number of animal bones inside the structures. Restelli said these details proved the ovens were designed for cooking meat rather than baking bread.
Slow cooking for hours
Restelli compared the technique to paper kebab, a traditional dish in Turkey. She explained that meat was placed inside, covered with a clay lid, and cooked slowly for hours, sometimes overnight.
UNESCO Dünya Kültür Mirası Kalıcı Listesi’nde yer alan Arslantepe Höyüğü’ndeki kazılarda, Geç Hitit dönemine tarihlenen 3 bin yıllık fırın bulundu.
📌Kazılarda kebap izlerine rastlandı. pic.twitter.com/kpXVaVSpEG
— Onedio (@onediocom) September 3, 2025
The process suggested a specialized method of preparing meat, extending beyond routine bread making and pointing to the cultural importance of shared meals.
Link to earlier discoveries
Excavations began in August and focused on the same area where similar structures were identified in 2022. A third installation uncovered this year confirmed that the practice was not isolated but part of a broader cooking tradition at the site.
Restelli said the combination of oven bases and animal bones gave strong evidence for prolonged, meat-centered cooking. She explained that the findings like these add to their understanding of everyday life in the Late Hittite period.
Ancient traditions, modern echoes
Restelli added that the discoveries also revealed surprising continuity with present-day food culture in Malatya. She suggested that local chefs could draw inspiration from the findings to reconnect modern cuisine with its ancient roots.
🔎 UNESCO Dünya Kültür Mirası Kalıcı Listesi’nde yer alan Arslantepe Höyüğü’ndeki kazılarda, geç Hitit dönemine tarihlenen 3 bin yıllık fırın bulundu. pic.twitter.com/e4tuzlGKeS
— milliyet.com.tr (@milliyet) September 3, 2025
Scholars note that discoveries like this also tie into broader patterns across the Eastern Mediterranean. In the same era, early Greek communities placed great importance on meat-centered feasts, both in ritual sacrifice and social gatherings.
The presence of a purpose-built Hittite meat oven highlights parallels between Anatolian and Greek traditions, suggesting that shared culinary practices helped shape cultural exchanges across the Aegean.
Expanding knowledge at Arslantepe
Arslantepe has been under excavation for decades and is considered one of Anatolia’s most important archaeological sites. The mound preserves evidence of settlement stretching from the 4th millennium B.C. through the Iron Age.
Previous excavations at the site uncovered early examples of state administration, metallurgy, and monumental architecture. The discoveries add food culture to the picture, showing how ancient societies combined political sophistication with rich culinary traditions.