Sexi - Phoenician Colony

Sexi was a Phoenician colony established around 800 BC at modern Almunecar on Spain's Mediterranean coast, developing into a major port and fish-processing center. The colony produced garum, a prized fermented fish sauce that supplied markets across Greece and Rome. From the 3rd-2nd centuries BC it issued coinage depicting the Phoenico-Punic god Melqart and fish motifs. Key archaeological sites include the Laurita Necropolis on Cerro de San Cristobal, discovered in 1962 with cremated remains in alabaster urns, and the Puente de Noy necropolis with over 200 tombs. Fish salting tanks with deep stone basins and connecting channels survive among the ruins.