Tharros
is
one of the most visited archaeological sites
on Sardinia. It overlooks the Gulf of
Otranto near Oristano on the west coast and
is easily accessible by major roads. Tharros
was founded by the Phoenicians in the 8th
century BC on the site of an earlier
nuraghic village called
Su Muru Mannu;
thus, from very early times, there is a
direct line of habitation by the nuraghic
dwellers, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, and
Romans. The site was abandoned in the 10th
century AD in the face of
Saracen incursions
all along the Sardinian coasts. The site was
subsequently used as a quarry.
