The amount of gold contained in the Punic necropolis tombs in Tharros caused a true treasure hunt in the second half of the 19th century, which led to the plundering and loss of so many precious items. One part of these items, however, reached private and public collections, enough to give us an idea of how wealthy the city was.

This gold bracelet is a unique piece, almost perfectly preserved, as only the clasp is missing
(fig. 1).

Fig. 1 - Phoenician gold bracelet (Cagliari, National Archaeological Museum) (Archaeological Superintendency Archive)

The bracelet has five sheets decorated in steps, with details highlighted by granulation, the outlining of the details with small gold balls. The sheets are held together by hinges made from small striated cylinders with a pin running through them.

The central sheet, the largest (fig. 2) carries the figure of a winged scarab, a sacred animal in Egyptian religion, with the face of a falcon, that holds the sun high above its head.

Fig. 2 - Detail on the central sheet with the winged scarab holding the sun (from AA.VV. 1991, cover. Review C. Tronchetti)

The side sheets, which are smaller in size, are decorated with palm leaves and lotus flowers. Similar bracelets were found in Tharros, although not identical, in fragments and in silver (fig. 3) and in gold-plated silver in Carthage.

Fig. 3 - Part of a silver bracelet from Tharros, with palms similar to the ones on the gold bracelet (from AA.VV. 1991, fig. 88)

The items is dated between the 7th and the 6th century B.C., more likely coming from the latter.