Brooches were used as practical accessories to help keep cloaks, trousers and other pieces of clothing fastened. The accessories were status symbols with many brooches being made of expensive materials. The more elaborate the deign also indicated the status of the wearer. These kinds of zoomorphic brooches were commonly found in Roman providences with the inspiration coming from British styles. Stags were associated with stability and stamina. The animals were typically shown in hunting scenes. Within Celtic belief the stag was associated with the god Cernunnos, also known as the ‘Horned One’, who was the god of the forest and the wild.
For more information on ancient Roman animal symbolism, please see our blog post: Animal Symbolism in Roman Art