Tepe Gawra is an ancient Mesopotamian settlement 24 km (15 mi) NNE of Mosul in northwest Iraq that was occupied between 5000 and 1500 BC.

A brief exploratory dig was performed by Austen Layard in 1849 who stated "By my directions deep trenches were opened into its sides, but only fragments of pottery were discovered".

After a 15 day trial excavation in 1927 which opened a sounding trench on the southeast slope of the main mound the 1932, 1933, and 1936 seasons were led by Ephraim Avigdor Speiser.

[4][5][6][7] At the same time, these scholars explored the related nearby ancient site of Tell Billa, which is located about 8 km (5.0 mi) southwest of Gawra.

While most work concentrated on the main mound, two deep soundings were conducted on the adjacent plain, recovering early Halaf pottery shards and simple construction.

[17][18] A team from the University of Toronto led by Khaled Abu Jayyab has begun to address the issue or whether or not there was a Lower Town at the site.

In that period a number of spring fed streams ran through or near the site, now all dry due to modern pumping and deep wells in the area to support the olive groves that surround the mound.

[21][22] According to Daniel Potts, the earliest evidence for gold or electrum use in the Near East comes from Ur and Tepe Gawra; a few small artifacts, such as wire and beads, have been found at these sites.

[23] Several objects from levels 12 to 8 (mid-fourth to early-third millennium BC) at Tepe Gawra were made of arsenical copper, which is quite early for Mesopotamia.