Dogs of Roman Britain concerns the presence of dogs within Britain under Roman occupation. Through various excavations in the Province of Britannia, evidence for a variety of uses from dogs has been found. There has been presences of dog remains, figurines of dogs, and use of dogs in religion found among the remains of excavated sites. Along with this are written references to the use of dogs as well. The Roman Province of Britannia was known for exporting dogs. The references by Roman writers to these dogs suggest that British dogs were both fast and strong, useful in hunting and even in war. Some modern dog book authors are of the opinion that these dogs were a distinct breed of dog, and that this breed was the progenitor to the English Mastiff and possibly the Bulldog. Cultural significance Dogs are often portrayed in religion with the gods or goddess they are attributed to. Despite worship for the goddess Nehalennia extending farther than the English Channel, the imagery of the deity with a lap-dog alongside her is frequently associated with the protection of merchants sailing from the Rhine and Mosel to Britain. This dog has been described by a variety of sources as anything similar to a greyhound, a Yorkshire terrier, or a Welsh Springer Spaniel. Agassian There is a strong breed of hunting dog, small in size but no less worthy of great praise. These the wild tribes of Britons with their tattooed backs rear and call by the name of Agassian. Their size is like that of worthless and greedy domestic table dogs; squat, emaciated, shaggy, dull of eye, but endowed with feet armed with powerful claws and a mouth sharp with close-set venomous tearing teeth. It is by virtue of its nose, however, that the Agassian is most exalted, and for tracking it is the best there is; for it is very adept at discovering the tracks of things that walk upon the ground, and skilled too at marking the airborne scent. —Oppian, early 3rd century.Likewise, Sucellus is also pictured with a dog. However, in this instance, it represents a connection with the underworld. Other cultural practices associated with dogs are funerary practices. As dogs were seen to have a connection to the underworld, placing figurines of dogs with the dead was thought to help souls with passage. Dogs were also connected to health as they were thought