2,100-year-old sling bullet found in Israel bears ‘sarcastic’ inscription: experts
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Archaeologists have unearthed a 2,100-year-old slingshot bullet in Israel inscribed with a pointed message aimed at enemy forces.
Scientists found the lead at the necropolis site on an ancient road in Hippos, which was once an important episcopal center during the Byzantine period. The city was known as Susita during the Hellenistic period, which lasted from 323 BC to 31 BC.
According to a press release obtained by Fox News Digital, officials in B.C. The Greek word “Learn” was engraved on the bullet, which dates back to the 2nd century.
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Faint traces of Greek script are visible in the image of an ancient, oval-shaped lead slingshot projectile.
Michael Eisenberg, an archaeologist at the University of Haifa who recently published his findings in the journal PEQ with his colleague Arleta Kowalewska, said he believed the statement was a “cynical” mockery.
Ancient bullet found in Hippos (left), dating back to B.C. It dates back to the 2nd century and has the Greek word “Learn” on it. On the right is a depiction of a Hellenistic battle using slings. (Dr. Michael Eisenberg, University of Haifa; Stock Montage via Getty Images)
According to March, Eisenberg said, “69 such bullets have been detected so far in Hippos alone, but this is the first bullet in the world to bear the inscription ‘Learn’.” he said.
“This represents the local sarcastic humor of the city’s defenders, who wanted to teach their enemies a lesson with a wink: ‘Learn your lesson!'”
The work is approximately 3.2 centimeters long, 1.95 centimeters wide and weighs 38 grams.
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Excavators observed signs of impact damage to the projectile and believe it once weighed 45 grams.
Authorities said the bullet was likely “fired by the city’s defenders from the city walls towards the enemy advancing to surround the city.”
A slingshot bullet with inscription on it is very rare; “This is the first time in the world to find this Greek word on a slingshot projectile.”
At the time, lead bullets were considered a cheap but lethal type of ammunition.
The statement said, “Slingshot bullets were produced by pouring lead into stone moulds, in a relatively simple process that can be carried out even during a military operation.”
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Authorities say “many bullets contain the name of a military commander, the name of a city, and the words ‘Catch!’ “It is adorned with a similar sarcastic humor,” he said. or symbols intended to imbue them with power, such as the trident, lightning bolt, or scorpion.”
Eisenberg said the artifact represents an unusual and unprecedented find.
The Greek inscription “Learn” on the bullet seen above is interpreted as a sarcastic or sarcastic message to enemy troops during a battle near the Hippos. (Dr. Michael Eisenberg, University of Haifa)
“It’s very rare to find a slingshot bullet with writing on it; it’s the first time in the world to find this Greek word on a slingshot bullet,” Eisenberg told Fox News Digital.
“We know of similar sarcastic or sarcastic humor directed at the enemy, but this particular example was unknown and reveals the humorous local tendency among Hellenistic Hippos defenders.”
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He also noted the significance of its location, which strongly suggests that it was fired during a siege.
“The bullet’s location near the ancient main road beneath the city’s walls, in addition to the impact mark on the bullet, provides a colorful reconstruction of the defenders firing the bullet towards the besieging forces advancing towards the city,” Eisenberg said. he said.
The bullet is an ancient slingshot found in Hippos with a sarcastic inscription on it. Above is a general view of a Greek siege. (Universal Images Group via Universal History Archive/Getty Images)
The discovery adds to the growing list of important archaeological finds at Hippos.
Excavations last year uncovered a 1,600-year-old Christian care center for the elderly in Hippos, possibly the oldest nursing home in the world.
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Also in Hippos, archaeologists found a treasure trove of ancient jewels and gold coins last year, thanks to metal detectors.
