Featured Image Credit: Sepia Times/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Topics: Israel
Alice Wade
Long before texting, angry tweets, or passive-aggressive Post-It notes, early humans had to find far more creative ways to channel their rage.
And while it might not have been received as quickly, it turns out even those who lived thousands of years before us knew how to get the message across when they needed to.
Archaeologists have recently discovered a sling bullet in Israel inscribed with a sarcastic message directed at their opponents.
Scientists discovered the weapon, an almond-shaped projectile, usually made from clay or stone, that was designed to be thrown from a hand-held sling during battle, in Israel.
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The bullet was discovered in a necropolis area along an ancient road at Hippos, which was a prominent bishop's seat during the Byzantine era. The city was once known as Susita during the Hellenistic period, which lasted from 323 B.C. to about 31 B.C.
Officials have estimated that the almond-shaped bullet dates back at least 2,000 years, all the way back to the second century B.C.
According to Michael Eisenberg, a University of Haifa archaeologist, the sling bullet contains a faint inscription that translates to the Greek word 'learn,' as reported by Fox News.
The expert, who recently published his findings in the journal PEQ alongside his colleague, Arleta Kowalewska, said he believes the phrase was intended as a 'sarcastic' taunt.
"At Hippos alone, 69 such projectiles have been identified so far, but this is the first in the world to bear the inscription 'Learn'," he said.
"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 item is roughly 3.2 centimeters long and 1.95 centimeters wide, weighing 38 grams, roughly the same as a small handful of pennies, although experts believe this would once have been more like 45 grams.
They believe it was likely 'fired by the city’s defenders from the city walls toward the enemy advancing to besiege the city.'
"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 report said.
And the taunting stone wasn't the only one of its kind. Other projectiles were found bearing various inscriptions, including some with the name of a military commander, the name of a city, and another tongue-in-cheek stone bearing the word 'Catch!'.
These were 'intended to imbue them with power, such as a trident, lightning bolt, or scorpion'.
The artefact is an unusual and unprecedented find, according to the lead archaeologist.
"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 Fox News 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."
Eisenberg is also convinced that the stone was fired during a siege, given the spot it was found.
"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," he said.
The sarcastic bullet is one of a growing list of major archaeological finds at Hippos.
Archaeologists believe they even unearthed a 1,600-year-old Christian care center for the elderly, possibly making it the oldest nursing home in the world.