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The Greeks were the first nation to exploit fist fighting. But when the Romans conquered Greece, they took a great fancy to the "sport." They developed their own fistic warriors, sent them against the best in Greece, and the Romans usually won. The Romans, in preparing their men to face the outstanding fighters in Greece, went to great extremes to provide their man with the most brutal kind of cestus and perhaps the barbarous fistic attachments that the Romans used explains why they were so successful against the Greeks. When the Romans almost had obliterated the Grecian gladiators who were fistic performers,the Romans staged bouts among their countrymen. When so doing, they made some radical changes in the rules. They decided that legs had some value in such bouts, and required that the battling be from standing position. A limited space was marked off, into which the fighters might retreat in time of great danger. The Romans, to offset the "charity" in such an act toward the gladiators, made the cestus more and more pulverizing. It is possible that the space allotted to the fighters in those years was circular, rather than squared, accounting for the word "ring," which is a fistic term that has been used to describe the squared off areas for fighters for centuries.

While pugilistic contests generally were reserved for certain holidays in ancient Rome and Greece, they also were part of the funeral ceremonies for some departed notables. It was the belief of the people that the spirit of the deceased lingered in the neighborhood of the mortal's existence. The aim was to arrange, as part of the burial service, something that would please the spirit. If the man in life had been interested in fistic duels, then such a performance was arranged to regale the spirit.

At the funeral of Hector, within the walls of Troy, Dares, then regarded as the most famous pugilist, roared challenges for a battle to death with anyone who had the courage to meet him. None of the youths accepted. Dares voiced his contempt, whereupon Entellus, an old gladiator from Sicily who had been taught cestus warfare in earlier years by King Eryx, tossed his cestus, smeared with dried blood and brain fragments, into the ring-a gesture of acceptance.

Using all the cunning that he had gained through a long life as a cestus warrior, Entellus held off the rushing, dashing Dares, who, without inflicting great damage, wore himself out trying to kill Entellus. As Dares tired, the tide of battle turned, Entellus forged to the front and Dares cried out acknowledgment of defeat. The satisfied Entellus stopped punching, thus saving Dares' life. It was one of the few times in ancient pugilism when a beaten warrior was spared from death.

Homer, the blind poet, told of a pugilistic contest where the winner received as a prize a "jackass in good condition" and the loser a two-handled cup-for no known reason. Other immortal Greeks of the centuries before Christ left writings that dealt with pugilistic contests, and there have been found in Greece and Rome drawings showing that the pugilists wore leather ear guards-the only protection used in that era.

Winning gladiators in cestus duels always were greatly honored. They were the kings of athletes. Tributes were paid to them in long orations. Rich rewards were theirs. Caligula, eccentric Emperor of Rome and a great pugilistic enthusiast, imported gladiators from Campania and Africa. He matched them and rewarded each winner with a captive maiden as a prize.

Cestus warfare was popular through centuries in Greece and Rome, but finally a less sanguinary king, who saw no reason why the youthful stalwarts should be killed off every afternoon or evening to provide an extra thrill for the spectators, came to rule. He banned the cestus and told the warriors they would have to use bare fists-or quit battling altogether. Eventually, even the use of fists was barred, a Roman emperor, just before the dawn of the Christian Era claiming that fist fighting ruined, instead of helped, prospective warriors, and pugilism went into eclipse for many centuries.