2,100-year-old sling bullet found in Israel bears ‘sarcastic’ inscription: experts

Archaeologists have uncovered a 2,100-year-old sling bullet in Israel inscribed with a pointed message aimed at enemy forces.

The scientists found the bullet in a necropolis area along an ancient road at Hippos, once a prominent bishop’s seat during the Byzantine era. The city was known as Susita during the Hellenistic period, which lasted from 323 B.C. to about 31 B.C.

The projectile, which officials date to the second century B.C., was carved with the Greek word “Learn,” according to a press release obtained by Digital.

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A picture of the ancient, oval-shaped lead sling bullet shows faint traces of the Greek script.

Michael Eisenberg, a University of Haifa archaeologist who recently published his findings in the journal PEQ along with colleague Arleta Kowalewska, believes the phrase was a “sarcastic” taunt, he said. 

“At Hippos alone, 69 such projectiles have been identified so far, but this is the first in the world to bear the inscription ‘Learn,'” Eisenberg said, per the March release.

“This represents local sarcastic humor on the part of the city’s defenders, who wished to teach their enemies a lesson with a wink: ‘Learn your lesson!’”

The artifact is roughly 3.2 centimeters long and 1.95 centimeters wide, weighing 38 grams.

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Excavators observed signs of impact damage on the projectile and believe it once weighed 45 grams.

The projectile was likely “fired by the city’s defenders from the city walls toward the enemy advancing to besiege the city,” officials said.

“To find a sling bullet with an inscription is very rare; to find this Greek word on a sling bullet is the first time in the world.”

Lead bullets were considered a cheap but lethal form of ammunition at the time.

“Sling bullets were produced by casting lead in stone molds in a relatively simple process that could be carried out even during a military campaign,” the release noted.

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Officials said that “many projectiles were decorated with the name of a military commander, the name of a city, sarcastic humor similar to ‘Catch!’ or symbols intended to imbue them with power, such as a trident, lightning bolt or scorpion.”

The artifact represents an unusual and unprecedented find, said Eisenberg.

The Greek inscription “Learn” on the projectile, seen above, is interpreted as a sarcastic or mocking message aimed at enemy troops during a battle near Hippos. (Dr. Michael Eisenberg, University of Haifa)

“To find a sling bullet with an inscription is very rare; to find this Greek word on a sling bullet is the first time in the world,” Eisenberg told Digital.

“We know of similar mocking or sarcastic humor directed at the enemy, but this specific example was unknown and reveals the humorous local trend among the Hellenistic defenders of Hippos.”

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He also noted the significance of where it was found, which strongly suggests it was fired during a siege. 

“The bullet’s location near the ancient main road below the city’s fortifications, in addition to the impact mark on the bullet, supplies a colorful reconstruction of the defenders shooting the bullet toward the besieging forces advancing towards the city,” Eisenberg said.

The bullet is an ancient sling projectile discovered at Hippos with a taunting inscription. Above, a generic image of a Greek siege is shown. (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

The discovery adds to a growing list of major archaeological finds at Hippos.

Excavations unearthed a 1,600-year-old Christian care center for the elderly at Hippos last year, possibly the world’s oldest nursing home.

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Also at Hippos, archaeologists found a trove of ancient jewelry and gold coins last year, thanks to metal detectors.