# Cestus

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{{Short description|Ancient band, girdle or tie}}
{{For|the manga series|Cestvs: The Roman Fighter}}
{{Sources exist|date=July 2022}}
thumb|Drawing of a cestus
'''Cestus''' ({{langx|grc|κεστός|kestos}}), plural: '''cesti''' ({{langx|grc|κεστοί|kestoi}}), in a general sense meant, for ancient Greeks and Romans, any band or tie.<ref name="A dictionary of Roman and Greek antiquities 2000 engravings on wood">[https://archive.org/details/adictionaryroma01richgoog/page/n152/mode/2up A dictionary of Roman and Greek antiquities with nearly 2000 engravings on wood from ancient originals illustrative of the industrial arts and social life of the Greeks and Romans, pp. 148-149]</ref>

However, it was more frequently used to refer to:
* The [Girdle of Aphrodite](/source/Girdle_of_Aphrodite).<ref name="A dictionary of Roman and Greek antiquities 2000 engravings on wood"/>
* [Boxing gloves used by ancient Greeks and Romans](/source/Cestus_(boxing)), also written ''Caestus''.<ref name="A dictionary of Roman and Greek antiquities 2000 engravings on wood"/>
* A girdle or belt worn by women in ancient Greece.<ref name="Suda, Kestos">[https://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/sol/sol-entries/kappa/1428 Suda, Kestos]</ref>
* A marriage girdle, given by a newly married wife to her husband.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=9e8rAAAAYAAJ A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, pp. 234-235]</ref>

Because the Cestus of Aphrodite was believed to have powers of attraction and seduction, the term cestus came to refer more broadly to any striking or showy garments worn by women.<ref name="Suda, Kestos"/>

In poetry (especially epigrams), the word was used figuratively. For example, one poem says someone "sounded more magical than the kestos", meaning more enchanting or seductive. Another poem describes dewy lips and a sweet youthful harmony as the kestos of the Paphian Aphrodite.<ref name="Suda, Kestos"/>

According to tradition, [Paris](/source/Paris_(mythology)) was said to have composed or recited a hymn to Aphrodite called the Kestos.<ref>[https://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/sol/sol-entries/pi/652 Suda, Parion]</ref>

One of the works of [Sextus Julius Africanus](/source/Sextus_Julius_Africanus) is Kestoi ("Charmed Girdles"),<ref name="Suda, Kestos"/> a work in 24 books. It is a kind of practical or physical treatise that collects magical spells, including incantations, charms, written symbols, and various ritual practices or procedures.<ref>[https://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/sol/sol-entries/alpha/4647 Suda, Afrikanos]</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wiktionary|cestus|κεστός}}
*[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0059:entry=caestus A Latin Dictionary]
*[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0060:entry=caestus An Elementary Latin Dictionary]
*[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0062:entry=caestus-harpers Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities] 
*[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0063:entry=caestus-cn A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities]
*[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0058:entry=i(ma/s&highlight=caestus An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon]
*[https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/cestus Collins Online Dictionary, Cestus]

Category:Belts (clothing)
Category:Clothing in ancient Rome

{{AncientGreece-stub}}
{{AncientRome-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cestus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cestus) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cestus?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.