AREA ARCHEOLOGICA DI THARROS

Located at the edge of the sea, at the end of the peninsula of Sinis, the ruins of Tharros mix the times. The peninsula is occupied since the Nuragic era, before becoming a Phoenician city, then Roman. Unfortunately, Tharros was sacked in the ^11th century and especially in the ^19th century. Witnesses of the time, including Honoré de Balzac, evoke the thousands of treasures discovered and stolen by the plunderers of tombs. Today, one can walk through the ancient Roman streets and contemplate the ruins of the temple erected on the foundations of a Carthaginian place of worship. Some remains are located outside the site. They are presented here from north to south, starting from the village of San Giovanni di Sinis.

The northern necropolis. North of the village, behind the main beach. Small and rather unknown, it counts tombs of the Phoenician and Punic eras. The Phoenicians cremated their dead, either by burning the body directly in the tomb or by using a crematorium. In both cases, the bones were placed at the bottom of the grave and then covered with a sealed slab. It seems that from the Carthaginian period onwards the bodies were buried in more elaborate tombs.

The aqueduct-canal. At the end of the beach, in front of the public toilets. There is still a visible part of this ancient aqueduct built by the Romans to irrigate the city of Tharros. It is likely that the work connected a well located outside the city to the water tower that was in the center of the city.

Su Murru Mannu. At the northern end of the site of Tharros are telescoped remains of all ancient periods, starting with those of a Nuraghic village. The foundations of the circular houses are still clearly visible. It seems that the village was abandoned before the arrival of the Phoenicians. The bases of a fortification wall partly surround the village. On the other side of this wall, the tophet discovered in 1962 is one of the most important discoveries of the site. It is in this open-air sanctuary that the Carthaginians carried out sacrifices. Urns containing the remains of children or animals were discovered there. The temple was dedicated to the god Baal Hammon and to the goddess Tanit. An ancient forge from the^5th century BC closes this part of the site. Iron from the mines of Montiferru was melted here.

The temple of Demeter. Halfway between Su Murru Mannu and the entrance of the site. There is not much left of this temple which was ransacked and plundered. The remains of the votive chapel date back to the Roman period but the base of the structure dates back to the Carthaginian occupation. Two clay artifacts referring to Demeter, the goddess of agriculture and harvest, were found on the site. The temple is connected by a cardo maximus to the city.

The residential area. The remains of the houses in the city of Tharros date back to the Roman era, but the plans and style of the houses date back to the Carthaginian period. The roofs of the houses were flat and made of vegetable materials: wood, branches, reeds. Long cisterns were buried under the houses or streets to store water.

The water tower. At the end of the cardo maximus, the remains of the water tower are clearly identifiable. Its square structure was fed by an aqueduct. Along the southern wall, the foundations of an ancient basin and a fountain can still be seen.

The Roman baths. The Romans could not do without public baths with heated or fresh water pools. The city of Tharros had three of them. The first one, barely discernible, is immediately to the left from the water tower towards the sea. At the end of this street is the second bath, in much better condition. The third bath is at the southern end of the Tharros site. It was built on three floors and included a changing room, a frigidarium, a tepidarium and a caldarium. The baths were fed by a cistern built on the site.

The temple with Doric columns. This temple was the main place of devotion under the Carthaginians. It was brought to light by Gennaro Pesce in 1959. This Neapolitan archaeologist supposes that the temple knew three successive phases. During the first phase, the devotees dug holes in the rock to deposit offerings. Around the ^third century BC, a temple was erected on this natural base. The upper part of the temple was decorated with Doric columns and pilasters in relief. The Romans probably destroyed this temple and erected on top of it a new sanctuary of square shape.

The tetrastyle temple. There are still two columns standing from this temple which had four and was erected in the ^first century B.C. It was probably dedicated to the Capitoline triad, namely Jupiter, Juno and Minerva.

Temple K. South of the site, between the road and the Roman baths. There are still some steps of the basalt staircase which led to a monumental complex. This included a high imperial portico and a small granite temple where Punic inscriptions were found. However, there is no evidence to define to which god(s) the temple was dedicated. Therefore, it bears the name of "K", from the letter affixed by its discoverer.

Practical information. Catering and parking at the entrance. Map of the site provided at the ticket office.