Tell Hassuna

Tell Hassuna is an archaeological mound in Iraq’s Nineveh Governorate that gave its name to the Hassuna cultural horizon of northern Mesopotamia. It is recognised as a key Neolithic-Chalcolithic site in the region.

The tell comprises the remains of an early village settlement with domestic architecture and pottery assemblages that define the Hassuna cultural phase; visible remains are primarily archaeological rather than reconstructed monuments. The site is important for studies of early farming communities and pottery production in northern Mesopotamia.

Excavations at the tell identified a distinct local ceramic and architectural tradition which archaeologists named the Hassuna culture; this horizon dates to the early 6th millennium BCE and represents settled farming communities in the region. The material from the site has been central to understanding Neolithic and early Chalcolithic developments in northern Iraq.

Situated in Nineveh Governorate in northern Iraq, the tell lies within the broad Mesopotamian plain and is part of the archaeological landscape south and west of present-day Mosul.

• Type site for Hassuna culture: Serves as the type site for the Hassuna culture, a Neolithic settlement tradition in northern Mesopotamia with early village architecture and pottery.