A megalithic culture developed in this region of Spain, particularly around
Aliste, and there are many remaining signs of the presence of various cultures over the years. Salt mining took place at
Villafáfila, stone forts were built on fertile plains and near rivers, and others were built in the vicinity of mines where
variscite and
iron ore were extracted. Rock paintings have been discovered and artefacts found include everyday pottery, tools, and gold and silver jewellery. In the
Iron Age, Celtic tribes built forts surrounded by moats but they were pastoral people, living in small villages, and did not build cities. They left
standing stones and
dolmens. The Romans first came to Spain in 218 BC, and over the next three centuries there were various conflicts as the Romans advanced into Celtic lands. The Romans built roads across the territory and in 1978 the Roman town of Requejo in
Santa Cristina de la Polvorosa was revealed after erosion occurred following flooding of the area by the River
Órbigo. In 197 BC, Spain was divided into two provinces,
Hispania Citerior and
Hispania Ulterior, controlled by two separate Roman military forces. Zamora was in the latter region. Peace reigned until 155 BC when the Lusitanians attacked Hispania Ulterior. Two Roman defeats followed, and many other rebellions were sparked in the peninsula. The Romans eventually prevailed, and in 27 BC, subdivided the province of Hispania Ulterior into
Hispania Baetica (modern-day Andalusia) and
Lusitania, which included Zamora. When the
Vandals invaded the province in the 5th century AD, the Roman Emperor
Honorius sent his brother-in-law, the
Visigoths' king, to defeat the Vandals. The Visigoths seized control of most of Hispania and made
Toledo the capital, while the
Suevi occupied the northwestern part of the Peninsula and made their capital city
Bracara. By 585 the Suevi had been conquered by the Visigoths who then controlled the whole peninsula. ==Geography==