In the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome, fibulae (or brooches) were originally used for fastening garments. They came in a variety of shapes, but all were based on the safety pin principle. Roman conquests spread the use of the fibula, which became the basis for more complicated brooches. Fibulae are the most common artefact-type in burials and settlements throughout much of the continental Europe.
Model axes are one of the most common votive objects found in archaeological sites, suggesting that they held a religious or superstitious meaning which would also have applied to axe shape brooches. Axe brooches are evidenced across the Roman empire, despite being an uncommon type of brooch. Axe brooches were typically cast in plain bronze or with engraved or enamelled decoration.