long ago when Rome was under Etruscan rule, the Etruscans would have this ritual that involved slaves to sacrifice their life as part of their funeral ritual, but then over time the lust for blood evolved violently into full combat. Soon the Romans would adopt this custom for their own funerals. This type of custom was only for those who could afford slaves, such as nobleman. The slaves who perform ritualistic combat was known as funeral men providing a service called the munus, this service was meant to appease the dead. In 264 B.C., the first known gladiatorial combat took place in Rome, inside a cattle market called the Forun Boarium. In this market, three slaves were forced to fight each other to the death. They did this in honor of the death of the noblemen named Junius Brutus. Often noblemen would make provisions in their wills to have gladiatorial combat during their funerals. By 216 B.C., the gladiatorial combat ceremony started to become a common occurrence from just one to twenty two in a year. 10 years later, the custom was seen in Spain and one monarch Antochus Epiphanes imported the funeral custom to Syria.