The Romans worshipped long-established gods, such as Jupiter and Venus, and also gave divine status to personifications, such as Victoria (Victory). All had their temples where worshippers performed rites and sacrifices. There was a statue of Victory at Camulodunum (Colchester) and (according to the Roman writer Spartian) a shrine to Bellona, goddess of war, at Eboracum (York). From the 1st century AD, worship of the numen (guardian spirit) of the emperor became part of official religion and temples and large statues of the emperor were set up in town centres.

However, Romans also tolerated local gods and religions. The worship of Serapis (a version of the Egyptian god, Osiris) and the Persian god Mithras, with their secret rituals and hope in an afterlife, were brought to Britain with the Roman army. Many British gods, like those of the tribes in Gaul and Germany, became merged with Roman gods. Mars, the god of war, appealed to the war-like British tribes and many local gods became identified with him. The same was true of Mercury, messenger of the gods, who was also associated with travel and protection of property. A temple to Mercury at Uley in Gloucestershire, built on an earlier British religious site, received many offerings and petitions from local people.