A 2k-Year Old Bullet With A Sarcastic Message Was Discovered

There was a 2,100-year-old sling bullet, with a sarcastic inscribed message "learn" attached, found in the holy land, on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee in Israel.

"Learn your lesson," "learn never to come back here," whatever the cryptic "learn" referred to, the Greek defenders of the city of Hippos delivered a message to the Hasmonean army of King Alexander Jannaeus along with a fatal blow.

Just published in the peer-reviewed journal "Palestine Exploration Quarterly" last week, the authors described the discovery of a "unique" lead sling bullet on an ancient road. Most likely, it had been launched at attackers advancing towards the city, with this menacing message in Greek: ΜΑΘΟΥ.

The find joins a group of 69 lead sling bullets uncovered at Hippos in 26 years. Whereas others feature a scorpion or a thunderbolt, this rare bullet is the first one that archaeologists have uncovered with a "sassy" reply to an army seeking to capture the city — like, "nice try."

Researchers from the University of Haifa were excavating a Roman necropolis near Hippos when they uncovered a lead bullet, about 1.3 inches long and weighing just under a pound, according to the study.

As an archaeologist on the project said, these types of sling bullets are well known in the Hellenistic period, as they were one of the most common weapons used, as they were cheap and effective, according to The Times of Israel. "But this is the first in the world to bear the inscription," as stated in Live Science.

The inscription would have sent enemies quite an impression as it was burned into the stone with molten lead, as if daring the attackers to continue their useless advance, Live Science continues. "This represents local sarcastic humor ..." wishing to "teach their enemies a lesson with a wink." So, some kind of early emoji.

Others, as The Times of Israel reports, these types of munitions in the Israel-Syrian region bore groups of thunderbolts tied up together to symbolize a sledgehammer coming from Zeus, or a trident, to align their force with the power of god, but this word "learn" intended to deliver a different tone.

Archaeologists continued that the construction of the word would suggest that the stone was speaking to the enemy army, "I’m learning," to hit you. So the bullet communicated to the enemy that they should not come here — they will be sorry that they did. Other inscriptions have been found, such as "catch," as in "catch this."

Study authors said, "The letters may be better understood in connection with another convention for sling bullet inscriptions, also attested in Iudaea-Palaestina. The sling bullets linked to the military actions of Diodotus (Tryphon) from Kasiane in the second century BCE carry sarcastic inscriptions, the sort commonly found on these projectiles, addressed to the enemy: γϵῦσαι, 'take a taste'. Even in Homer, γϵύομαι can mean 'to experience' a blow, as Weiß points out. Other examples of the mocking battle slogans are δέξαι (‘Receive this!’) and λαβέ (‘Take it!’)."