“Learn your lesson”: 2,100-year-old inscription discovered

ΜΑΘΟΥ can also mean something like “next time, don’t come here” – which ends up being an ironic formula associated with the impact of the projectile.

A sling bullet measuring approx. 2,100 yearsrecorded with “LEARN”, a Greek word equivalent to “Learn” or “Learn your lesson”, was discovered in the Sussita/Hippos national park, on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, announced the University of Haifa.

The artifact, made of lead, measures 3.2 by 1.95 centimeters and weighs 38 grams. According to archaeologists, it may have been used by Greek defenders of the city against the king’s Hasmonean army Alexandre Janeu, in an offensive dating back to 101 BC – that is, around 2,100 years ago.

A is presented as an unprecedented case: according to Michael Eisenbergfrom the University of Haifa and co-author of the study, is the first time this specific inscription appears on a sling bulletnot just in Israel, but throughout the world.

These munitions were common in the Hellenistic period, as they were cheap, simple and effectivealthough most did not have any decoration, depicts the .

When inscriptions existed, they could include names of cities, military commanders or even mocking messages directed at the enemy. In this case, the interpretation proposed by the researchers points precisely in that direction.

The word “ΜΑΘΟΥ” could mean something like “learn your lesson” or “next time, don’t come here”in an ironic formula associated with the impact of the projectile.

The bullet was found in the area of ​​the Roman necropolis of the ancient city, but archaeologists consider that the object predates the cemetery and dates back to the Hellenistic period, between the second half of the 2nd century BC and the beginning of the 1st century BC

Experts found several dozens of sling bullets in the same area, located next to the ancient road that went up from the Sea of ​​Galilee to Hippos, a strategic point for an eventual siege.

There are also other possible scenarios for its use: clashes between Greek kingdoms or military training.