The Romans first came to Britain in 55 and 54 BC, when Julius Ceasar made two raids that were beaten back by the native Celtic tribes. It was not until 43 AD that Claudius led a determined invasion landing at Richborough, Kent, and marched inland.

The Roman settlement of Britain lasted for at least 400 years and during this time Britain developed an increasingly cosmopolitan culture, although one that still had a strong undercurrent of native Celtic traditions. Intermarriage ensured that Roman influences percolated widely throughout native culture. As often happened, old British deities were gradually merged with new imported gods worshipped by the Romans.