When Were Cestus Invented?

The caestus is an important feature in a boxing match in Virgil's Aeneid (1st century bce). The story of…

What are cesti?

: a hand covering of leather bands often loaded with lead or iron and used by boxers in ancient Rome.

Did gladiators wear gloves?

Early Cestus were simply strips of leather wrapped around the hands. They were used in Greek hand-to-hand competitions, where only knockout mattered. As the Romans adopted them for gladiatorial combat, metal studs and spikes were added to increase the lethality. It was the very first boxing glove.