The site of Tharros is one of the most fascinating archeological sites in Sardinia, not only because of the archaeological remains of this once florishing town, originated from merging oriental urban and western prehistoric cultures, but also because of the unique position on a narrow peninsula overlooking the bay of Oristano. The name of Tharros is found in a few roman sources and on a milestone of the road that led from Othoca to Cornus.The road to the entrance of the archaeological site of Tharros runs alongside the hill of the big wall, Su Muru Mannu. Near the top the road enters the archaeological site of the town of Tharros. The first large street on the left runs up to the top of the hill of Su Muru Mannu. When the weather is fair enough you can overlook the houses of the village of San Giovanni down below and behind that the peninsula of Sinis with the lagunes and low hills. In this place archaeologists have found the traces of the first nuragic village of the bronze age. In the bronze age the hill of Su Muru Mannu was already inhabited, as shown by the remains of a nuragic village that have been found. When the Phoenicians founded Tharros they used the abandoned nuragic village to create an open air sanctuary, the tophet.This is also seen as evidence by archaeologists of the first permanent settlement of Phoenicians. The ash-urns with the remains of cremated children and animals that were offered to the goddess Astarte in the sanctuary have been found placed near the large stones of the nuragic village. Research showed that the oldest remains could be dated back to the eighth century BC. The tophet remained in use until the Roman Republic period.During Punic times many steles have been placed next to or in substitution of the ash urns. Finally the Romans dismantled the tophet, reused the steles for other buildings (still to be seen next to the area) and built an amphitheatre. Of this amphitheatre unfortunately there are no other traces than a large circle of stones on top of the hill.
Originally the streets were covered with sandstone slabs. In Roman times the roads were improved and covered with basaltic slabs on top of the original pavement. In the middle of the roads run the the sewers, meant also as drainage in case of rain. Interesting is the large number of doorsteps along the roads, carved in such a way as to slide the doorpanels in a groove and with holes to fit wooden pins for hinges.
In the centre of the town of Tharros lie the foundations of several temples. The first is the socalled monumental temple with next to it the semitic temple for which the space has been carved mainly in the sandstone. Of the temples itself there is not very much left but some architectural details. On the other side of the road, near the water lies the area of the two columns. Other columns have not been retrieved at Tharros and these have become emblematic for the site. They are ionic columns and one has a capittel on top. Whether this is the original position is not to say. Next to the temples, on either side of the centre there are Roman baths, the largest of which is called Terme di Convento Vecchio. At the far end on the hill of the tower of San Giovanni there is another small temple, Tempietto K, that is unfortunately as yet not approachable for visitors.
The punic necropolis can be found just past the stretch of land that connects Capo San Marco to the hill of the tower. Part of the gravechambers have been lost, not only to the plundering treasure hunters, but also to the sea and wind. A second necropolis is located near the houses of San Giovanni on the north side of Tharros. To the right of the punic necropolis on the cape of San Marco there are steep slopes of sandstone, once a quarry for the stones used to build Tharros with. On the left side of the necropolis at the waterside there is a second Spanish tower overlooking the bay. The path on Capo San Marco runs by the remains of a bronze age tower, nuraghe Baboe Cabitza, and leads on to the modern lighthouse on the southernmost point.
 
Prices: € 7,00 (Site and museum at Cabras)
Guided tours available