A Romano-Celtic temple is a building of square, circular, rectangular or polygonal ground-plan which is used for religious purposes and which is set apart from its secular surroundings by the temenos or sacred precinct in which it stands. The temenos itself may be open or closed and include within its area a single temple, several temples, or one temple and associated buildings. The entire complex was designed for use as the setting for rituals and ceremonies, with the temple building as the focal point. The main components of this class of monument are the central cella, ambulatory, and temenos. The cella and ambulatory often produce a concentric ground-plan which shows up as as a series of cropmarks or small earthworks during aerial reconnaissance or field survey.
Romano-Celtic temples have been sometimes confused with mausolea, various classes of villa, and other classes of temple. Authentication of a site as a Romano-Celtic temple ultimately depends upon the presence of corroborative epigraphic evidence and/or votive deposits.
Mausolea, which have a similar ground plan, are specifically excluded here as they are treated as a separate monument class. Likewise shrines which are integral parts of villas (various classes) are also excluded because they are considered as components of villas.
Romano-Celtic temples are one of three main classes of Roman temple and their function,therefore, overlapped with that of other related kinds of monument.They served in various ways, the spiritual needs of people living in the general vicinity. They do not appear to have been built or sited with a specific community or section of the community in mind but rather to venerate the god or spirit which dwelt in a particular place. Religious use included private worship, communal gatherings, sanctuary and healing. Temples were built and used for these purposes throughout the Roman period, ie. from the mid 1st century AD to the late 4th/early 5th centuries AD.