Giovanni Marongiu Civic Museum: A dive into the ancient history of Cabras

In the heart of Cabras, a charming town on Sardinia’s western coast, stands the Giovanni Marongiu Civic Museum. This is not an ordinary museum, but a true guardian of the millennia-old history of this corner of the island — a place where the past comes alive through extraordinary artifacts that tell of ancient civilizations and unsolved mysteries. Entering here means embarking on a fascinating journey from Prehistory to the Roman era, with a special focus on one of Sardinia’s most sensational archaeological discoveries: the findings from Tharros and the enigmatic Giants of Mont’e Prama.

A Land Rich in Stories

The Giovanni Marongiu Museum is deeply rooted in its surrounding territory, the Sinis Peninsula, an area of immense natural and archaeological value. Decades of excavation campaigns at Tharros — the ancient Phoenician, Punic, and later Roman city — along with accidental discoveries such as the Giants of Mont’e Prama, have made this region a reference point for international archaeology. The museum was created precisely to collect, preserve, and exhibit these treasures, offering visitors a key to understanding the complexity and richness of the cultures that succeeded one another in this fascinating part of Sardinia.

The Halls of Time: A Detailed Archaeological Journey

The exhibition route is designed to guide visitors through the various historical phases of the Sinis territory, in a chronological and thematic journey. Each room represents a chapter of this thousand-year-old story.

• Prehistory and Protohistory: This section introduces the earliest human presence in the Sinis, with finds that document the lives of prehistoric communities and the rise of the Nuragic civilization, represented by bronze statuettes and ceramic artifacts.

• Tharros – The Phoenician-Punic City: The heart of the museum is dedicated to the ancient city of Tharros, founded by the Phoenicians in the 8th century BC and later flourishing under Punic rule. Visitors can admire refined jewelry, Egyptian scarabs, Greek and Punic ceramics, and a wide range of objects illustrating daily life, trade, and religious beliefs in this thriving port city. Among the most striking exhibits are apotropaic masks and architectural fragments that testify to Tharros’s urban sophistication.

• Tharros – The Roman Era: This section focuses on the transformation of Tharros under Roman domination, showcasing new construction techniques such as mosaics, sculptures, and everyday objects that reflect the integration of local culture into the Roman world.

• The Giants of Mont’e Prama: Without a doubt, this is the museum’s most iconic and moving section. It displays some of the original fragments and reconstructed statues of the Giants of Mont’e Prama — sandstone sculptures up to two meters tall, discovered by chance by farmers in 1974. Depicting boxers, archers, and warriors with stylized forms and concentric eyes, these statues remain an archaeological enigma. Believed to date between the 10th and 8th centuries BC, they are thought to have served as funerary guardians or heroic figures of an ancient cult. Their presence is both powerful and magnetic, offering a tangible connection to a unique chapter of Nuragic history.

A Center for Research and Heritage Promotion

The Giovanni Marongiu Civic Museum is not only an exhibition space but also an active center for research, conservation, and cultural promotion of the Sinis’s archaeological heritage. Conferences, educational activities, and workshops for schools and enthusiasts are regularly organized, helping to spread awareness of these extraordinary historical treasures. Its mission is clear: to serve as a bridge between past and present, a place where curiosity is nurtured and the beauty of antiquity becomes accessible to everyone.

Address: Via Tharros, 09072 Cabras (OR), Italy

Opening Hours:

 • Summer (June 1 – September 30): Daily 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM (last entry 7:15 PM)

 • April, May, October: Daily 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM (last entry 6:15 PM)

 • Winter (November 1 – March 31): Tuesday–Sunday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (last entry 5:15 PM)

 • Closed: Mondays (unless public holiday), December 25, January 1

Tickets:

 • Full: €9.00

 • Reduced: €7.00 (groups of 20+, over 65, university students under 26)

 • Schools: €5.00 (school groups and under 17)

 • Cabras residents: Free entry

 • Combined Ticket Museum + Tharros: €7.50, plus other cumulative options within the Carbonia Museum Network

Contacts:

 • Phone: +39 0783 290636

 • Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

Logo: Giovanni Marongiu Civic Museum (Design by Davide Del Nista)