Britannia: The Ancient Face of Modern Britain

A story of women, gods and a changing nation

Most nations have images and icons associated with them. France has Marianne, the United States has Columbia, and India has Bharat Mata. Joining this pantheon of goddesses is Britannia, the personification of Britain and its people.

Let’s look at how this goddess came to be, came to claim the crown of Poseidon, her role in empire-building and her importance as a national symbol today.

Roman Origins

Reverse of a denarius of Carausius (r. 286–293), ruler of the Roman Britannic Empire, showing Britannia (left) welcoming the emperor with the words veni expectate (lit. ‘Come, O expected one’), Portable Antiquities Scheme from London, England, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Long before there even was a ‘Britain’, there was Britannia, a province of the Roman Empire first invaded by Julius Caesar in 55 and 54 BC. The conquest of Britannia began in earnest in 43 AD and proceeded as far north as Hadrian’s Wall, which is close to the Scottish border today.

While it’s difficult to imagine, Britannia then was a backwater province and a savage unknown land for much of the Roman occupation. The Britanni, the Picts, the Scoti and several other notable groups all called the island home and fought violently against the Romans, most notably, in the uprising led by Boudica. 70 years after this, Emperor Hadrian issued coinage in the Empire depicting Britannia the goddess for the first time.