During Roman times, Bordeaux became an important trading centre for lead and tin. Indeed, in time, it was to become the capital of the Roman province of Aquitaine. Then, in the 3rd century AD, this bustling settlement was plundered by the Vandals of Eastern Germany. In the centuries that followed, the city came under repeated attack, not just by the Vandals, but also by other barbarian invaders, including the Visigoths and Franks.