Fibulae or brooches were originally used in Ancient Greece and in the Roman Empire for fastening garments, such as cloaks or togae. The fibula designs developed into a variety of shapes, but all were based on the safety-pin principle. Brooches modelled in the shape of animals have been vastly recovered across all the Roman Empire, including Roman Britain. This particular type of brooch is typical of brooches originating in France and date earlier than their enamelled counterparts. The flattened form shows their relation to the flat, tinned plate brooches, originating in the mid-1st century AD. Examples exist mostly from the continent, any found in Britain would have been imports as the rabbit was not introduced to Britain until the Norman period.
