Religion and Ritual Pre-AD 410

This selection guide offers an overview of the sorts of archaeological monument or site associated with religion and ritual before the formal end of the Roman period (AD 410) which are likely to be deemed to have national importance, and for which of those scheduling may be appropriate. It aims to do two things: to set these within their historical context, and to introduce the designation approaches employed and how these might be specifically applied in selecting candidates from individual monument types for designation.

There is inevitably some overlap with the Commemorative and Funerary selection guide as many sites of a ritual or religious nature also include human remains. This guide concentrates on those sites where the prime function is considered to be ritual or religious but it should be born in mind that in the remote past many, what would now be considered as 'every day' activities, had a ritual or religious dimension. Scheduling is concerned with the protection of sites, so important objects that have been removed to museums are not covered.