People throughout the empire worshipped hundreds of different gods who covered all aspects of life - to protect the house, to heal the sick, to protect animals. Worship took place at temples and also in the home. Each house had its own shrine, which was the focus of daily worship by the family.

Small statues of the household divinities, lares et pentates, were often placed on the altar. A bronze statue of Hercules was found in Tunstall, possibly from a household shrine. Hercules was a Greek god adopted by the Romans as the god of physical strength. Perhaps the person who owned the statue prayed to Hercules to make them strong.

In the early 4th century AD Christianity was adopted as the official religion of the Roman empire. In Britain Christian symbols have been found as evidence of Christianity. The main motifs are the Greek letters X and P, known as the 'chi-rho' symbol, which begin the name of Christ.

A silver spoon, found near Biddulph in North Staffordshire, bears the 'chi-rho' motif and also alpha and omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These motifs symbolise Christ's statement: "I am the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end". The silver spoon may have been a baptism present, an offering or was used during a Christian ritual. The Biddulph spoon is in the British Museum.

A quernstone, used for grinding grain, was found at Rocester with a phallic symbol. It is thought that this symbol was carved into the stone to keep away the 'evil eye', or it may have been to attract the powers of Priapus, the god of agricultural fertility.