Britannia
Britannia is an ancient term for Roman Britain and also a female personification of the island. The name is Latin, and derives from the Greek form
Prettanike or
Brettaniai, which originally designated a collection of islands with individual names, including
Albion or Great Britain; however, by the 1st century BC
Britannia came to be used for Great Britain specifically. In AD 43 the Roman Empire began its conquest of the island, establishing a province they called
Britannia, which came to encompass the parts of the island south of Caledonia. The native Celtic inhabitants of the province are known as the Britons. In the 2nd century, Roman Britannia came to be personified as a goddess, armed with a trident and shield and wearing a Corinthian helmet. The Latin name
Britannia long survived the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century, and yielded the name for the island in most European and various other languages, including the English Britain and the modern Welsh
Prydain.