A sling bullet uniquely inscribed with the Greek word for “learn” was discovered in 2025 by researchers from the University of Haifa during excavations at the ancient city of Hippos in the Golan Heights, near the Kinneret.
Projectiles of this kind were commonly inscribed, either with the name of a commanding officer, city, humorous language, or symbols meant to imbue them with power. Despite this, the sling bullet found in 2025 at Hippos is the first inscribed bullet to be discovered at the site after 26 years of excavations, with a phrase not yet seen elsewhere.
“Sling lead bullets of this type are well known in archaeological research from many sites dating to the Hellenistic period, particularly from the second century BCE,” said Dr. Michael Eisenberg of the Zinman Institute of Archaeology and the University of Haifa.
The inscription, Eisenberg said, “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!’”
Dated to the Hellenistic period, it was found near the riverbed of the Sussita Stream south of Hippos, near the remains of the proposed ancient road that ran alongside the city.
May have been used to defend city from invaders
According to researchers, the bullet may have been fired from the ancient city’s walls toward an enemy advancing from the road to besiege the city, a distance of about 260 feet.
One side of the bullet is broken, indicating a “powerful impact that removed part of it.” Weighing currently at about 38 grams, researchers believe that it may have weighed about 45 grams when it was fully intact.
Bullets of this kind were cheap as they were extremely simple to make, a process of pouring lead into stone molds. They were also extremely effective and could hit an enemy from over 400 feet away when in the hands of a skilled fighter.
Multiple recorded battles took place at and around Hippos during the Hellenistic period, during which the bullet may have been used: During the Ptolemaic rule, prior to the city’s establishment, during the Battle of Paneion in circa 199 BCE, where the city was conquered by the Seleucids, or during the attempted conquest (101 BCE) and eventual conquering of the city (circa 83 BCE) by Alexander Janneus, the second king of the Hasmonean dynasty.
The complete findings were recently published in the Palestine Exploration Quarterly by Dr. Michael Eisenberg, Dr. Arleta Kowalewska, and Professor Gregor Staab.