Tharros

Tharros lies at the southern tip of the Sinis peninsula in the municipality of Cabras and is described as an open-air museum. The city was founded in the 8th century BC and abandoned in the 11th century AD. A Nuragic village stood on the hill beforehand and was abandoned before the Phoenicians arrived. Two necropolises and the tophet, a sacred precinct where urns holding the ashes of infants and sacrificed animals were found, date from the Phoenician period. After the Roman conquest in 238 BC it reached its peak in the 3rd century AD, with three bath complexes by the sea.

The two reconstructed columns belong to a temple overlooking the sea; the temple of the Doric semi-columns was built before the Roman conquest. Finds from Tharros can be seen in the Archaeological Museum in Cabras. There is an entrance fee. Allow a few hours and bring sun protection, as the site is exposed on the coast.