This talk explores the way in which Britannia adjusted to the new Roman religious cults and ritual practices brought in by the army and others from the Classical world, as Britain became a Roman province. Britons by no means accepted the Roman pantheon wholesale. The island had a vibrant spiritual arena of its own, led by the powerful guild of Druids. The results of cultural interaction between British and Roman religion were varied, and included antagonism, acceptance and mutual change. However, what emerged was a vibrant and varied Romano-British religion, neither British nor Roman but each enriched by the other. Such blending even extended to early Christianity. Despite its monotheism, deeply opposed to pagan deities, archaeological evidence suggests a measure of Christian tolerance.

Miranda Aldhouse-Green is Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at Cardiff University. Her main research interests are in the religious beliefs and practices of Iron Age and Roman Britain and Europe, and she has published widely in this area. Her latest book, Sacred Britannia has been shortlisted for the Current Archaeology Book of the Year Award, and is currently being considered for the Wolfson History Prize.