Words such as city, town and village, which we use to distinguish between different types of settlement, can be misleading. When we use them, their modern meaning comes to mind, but we should not forget that the meaning of words changes over time, just as the objects they indicate. However, in some cases there is no room for doubt and this is precisely the case of Tharros. Here, without any doubt we find ourselves in the presence of an urban centre, indeed a city.
Set on a promontory linked to the mainland by an isthmus, it was founded by the Phoenicians around 800 BC. However, the area also has traces of nuraghic structures which we can date in the period around 1200 BC. Following the Punic conquest of Sardinia, which took place some time round 650 BC, Tharros passed under the control of the Carthaginians. It was at this point in time that a tophet was built. This was a sacred area for the burial of infants and children, either those stillborn or those who died within the first two years of their life. According to another theory however, the tophets were places in which cruel human sacrifice was practiced. Be as it may, for archaeologists, the presence of a tophet is a sure sign of an urban settlement.
The city was occupied in various stages until its final abandonment, round 1070 AD.