Lastigi was an ancient Tartessian city in southern Spain, settled by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. It is mentioned by

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...

in his '' Natural History'' as lying on the Menoba River (

Guadiamar The Guadiamar is a river of Andalusia, Spain, and a tributary of the Guadalquivir. Its course runs entirely within the Province of Seville, flowing from Sierra Morena through the eastern border of Doñana National Park. Mining disaster In 1998, t ...

) near the towns of

Laelia ''Laelia'' is a small genus of 25 species in the orchid family (Orchidaceae). ''Laelia'' species are found in areas of subtropical or temperate climate in Central and South America, but mostly in Mexico. ''Laelia'' is abbreviated ''L.'' in the ...

and Olontigi. He mentions it again as a town in the Celtic region, whose boundaries are not clear, but may extend from

Málaga Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...

to the

Guadiana The Guadiana River (, also , , ), or Odiana, is an international river defining a long stretch of the Portugal-Spain border, separating Extremadura and Andalusia (Spain) from Alentejo and Algarve (Portugal). The river's basin extends from the e ...

. Its exact location has been debated by historians since the 19th century. The following sites have been proposed, in chronological order: *

Zahara de la Sierra Zahara de la Sierra is a municipality in the province of Cádiz in the hills of Andalusia, southern Spain. It is perched on a mountain, overlooking a valley and a man-made lake formed by the dam that must be driven over to access the town. It is ...

, in the

Sierra de Grazalema Grazalema is a village located in the northeastern part of the province of Cádiz, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Situated in the foothills of the Sierra del Pinar mountain range (Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park), Grazalema h ...

Province of Cádiz Cádiz is a Provinces of Spain, province of southern Spain, in the southwestern part of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is the southernmost part of mainland Spain, as well as the southernmost part of conti ...

; proposed by Rodrigo Caro, on the basis of Pliny's second mention of the town in the same list as Arunda (

Ronda Ronda () is a town in the Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about west of the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is about 35,000. Ronda is known for its cliff-side location and a deep chasm ...

Acinipo Acinipo was a city about 20 kilometers from Ronda, in the Spanish province of Málaga, believed to have been founded by retired soldiers from the Roman legions more than 2,000 years ago. The remaining ruins include a Roman theater still in use tod ...

, etc. However, the same list includes Aruci and Turobriga, near

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

. * Castuera,

Badajoz Badajoz (; formerly written ''Badajos'' in English) is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana. The population ...

; proposed by Miguel Cortés y López, on the basis of Pliny's second list, despite its broad range. *On the Guadiamar, near

Aznalcóllar Aznalcóllar is a city located in the province of Seville, southern Spain. It is located at the feet of the Sierra Morena. Aznalcollar mine The Boliden mine produces around 125,000 tonnes of zinc and 2.9 million ounces of silver per year. ...

; proposed by Antonio Delgado, who suggested downstream sites for Laelia (Cortijo de la Pisana or Pizana) and Olontigi (

Aznalcázar Aznalcázar is a town located in the province of Seville, southern Spain. It is only 20 minutes away from Seville, and is one of the 13 towns located in Doñana National Park, one of Spain's most important national parks and wildlife reserves. ...

). *The coast of

Huelva Huelva (, ) is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is between two short rias though has an outlying spur including nature reserve on the Gulf of Cádiz coast. The rias ...

; proposed by Francisco Mateos Gago. *Dehesa de Crespín (or Crispín), west of the confluence of the Agrio and Guadiamar rivers, between Aznalcóllar and Olivares; proposed by historian Juan Cuveiro Piñol, on the basis of Pliny's first mention of the Menoba river. *Cerro de la Cabeza, near Olivares, proposed by numismatic researcher Leandre Villaronga, but this site most likely corresponds to Laelia. *Los Merineros, near Aznalcóllar; the latest proposal. The idea that Pliny might have referred to two towns with the same name is generally rejected. Numismatic evidence places Lastigi near Laelia and Olontigi and rejects the hypotheses of Zahara and Castuera. The ore-rich area around

and the navigability of the Guadiamar support the notion that these cities lie in this region along the river.

References

{{reflist Tartessos Roman towns and cities in Spain Former populated places in Spain Lost ancient cities and towns