Dark message warning enemy to ‘learn your lesson’ found inscribed on 2,000-year-old sling bullet from ancient Holy Land
Israeli archaeologists have unearthed a 2,000-year-old slingshot ball bearing a cruel message: an ancient warning telling enemies to “Learn your lesson.”
The slingshot ball was found in the remains of the ancient city of Hippo (also known as Sussita). The molten lead intended for ammunition had been poured into a mold decorated with the Greek letters meaning “to learn”.
“Lead slingshot bullets of this type are well known in archaeological research at many sites dating from the Hellenistic period, particularly the second century BCE…but this is the first in the world to bear the inscription ‘Learn’” Michael Eisenbergan archaeologist from the University of Haifa, said in a statement.
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He believes the sling ball, also called the sling stone, was used against attackers by the Greek-speaking defenders of Hippos, located about a mile east of the Sea of Galilee. Eisenberg and colleagues reported the results March 10 in the journal Palestine Exploration Quarterly.
“This represents local sarcastic humor on the part of the city’s defenders, who wanted to teach their enemies a lesson with a wink,” he said.
Hippos was one of ten ancient cities in a confederation known as the Decapolis. These cities were founded at the eastern end of the Levant by the Macedonian successors of Alexander the Great and were then developed by the Romans as their eastern border against the Parthians, who lived in the ancient Near East and were descended from nomads from eastern Iran.
Old ammunition
The slingshot was found in 2025 during excavations of a necropolis in the ruins of Hippo, according to the press release. Archaeologists believe a defender probably fired it from the city walls, which overlooked a road.
The lemon-shaped bullet is made of lead and measures approximately 3.2 centimeters long. One side was destroyed in a powerful impact, and archaeologists estimate it originally weighed about 1.6 ounces (45 grams).
The release stated that slings were inexpensive but extremely effective as artillery and that an experienced slinger could strike an enemy from nearly 1,000 feet (300 meters). Furthermore, slingshot balls could be easily made from stone molds during conflict.
Slingshot balls were often named after gods, cities or military commanders, like Julius Caesaror with magical symbols, such as tridents, lightning or scorpions, which would give them power, according to the study.
Hippopotamus ball
One side of the Hippos slingshot ball has the Greek letters ΜΑΘΟΥ. The study’s authors interpreted this inscription as a form of the Greek word “mathaíno,” meaning “to learn,” and they believe the spelling indicates that it was an imperative that meant something like “Learn your lesson.”
Lead slingshot balls similar to the black humor have been found in the area, with inscriptions meaning “catch” and “taste”.
The latest discovery is one of 69 lead bullets discovered at Hippos during 26 years of excavations, the study notes. Some are decorated with scorpions and lightning, but this one is the first to bear an inscription.
These slingshots may have been used in several battles during the Hellenistic period at Hippos.
“The first occurred before the city was established, during Ptolemaic rule, when a fortress stood on top of the hill,” the team wrote. “It was conquered at the Battle of Paneion around 199 BCE by the Seleucids, who later established the polis of Hippoes there.”
