Local caves were used as tombs during the Copper Age, and later on people from the Tartessos and Iberian cultures settled in the region.

If this identification is correct, Lora de Estepa was the site of an important battle of Caesar's Civil War in 45 BC, during which Caesarian forces cornered and killed Gnaeus Pompeius the Younger, son of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus.

Equating Lauro with Lora de Estepa is, however, still speculative and strongly disputed among historians.

[4][5] In any case, the Roman town at Lora de Estepa was known as "Olaurum" by the 1st century, and served as regional hub for communication and trade.

In course of the late antiquity (4th-7th century) Olaurum was largely abandoned, as its population was ruralized and moved to numerous minor hamlets at the nearby villae.