Plural of cestus; leather hand-wrappings or boxing gloves used by ancient Greek and Roman boxers, often studded with metal for additional damage.
From Latin cestus, meaning 'belt' or 'binding,' derived from Greek kestos. The word referred to leather wrappings that Roman boxers used, which evolved from simple belt-like bindings to brutal weapons.
Roman boxers wore cesti that were progressively reinforced with metal spikes and studs, transforming boxing from a sport into a near-lethal combat form—archaeological evidence shows these caused catastrophic skull injuries.
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