A beehive oven is a type of oven in use since the Middle Ages in Europe. It gets its name from its domed shape, which resembles that of a skep, an old-fashioned type of beehive.
Abandoned beehive coke ovens near the ghost town of Cochran, Arizona
American 17th century beehive oven front Ephraim Hawley House
Beehive oven ceiling Ephraim Hawley House
A beehive oven, shown back, next to water pump
An oven is a tool which is used to expose materials to a hot environment. Ovens contain a hollow chamber and provide a means of heating the chamber in a controlled way. In use since antiquity, they have been used to accomplish a wide variety of tasks requiring controlled heating. Because they are used for a variety of purposes, there are many different types of ovens. These types differ depending on their intended purpose and based upon how they generate heat.
A double oven
A ceramic oven
Oven depicted in Jean-François Millet's painting, Woman Baking Bread (1854)
Ancient Greek portable oven, 17th century BC