I want to document my personal discovery: a lead sling bullet. I found this bullet in EU 23.

As the name would suggest, a lead sling bullet was made with lead and was shot using a weapon called a sling. Many sling bullets at this time had inscriptions on them, whether that be a phrase or a name of a king. The one I found was partially broken and had no visible inscription. Who knows,,, maybe the side that was broken off had an inscription, but I guess we won’t know.

Unlike some other finds, this find makes sense that it was found at Vigla considering we are digging on what is speculated to be a fort. Many may imagine lead as a dark gray color; however, in reality these bullets are light in color. They are hard to mistake for a normal rock or plaster because of their weight and their distinctive shape. It should be noted that they look like a football.

The sling and sling bullet have a long history, dating back to the neolithic or perhaps earlier. The sling is mentioned in writings by Homer, Xenophon, Thucydides, and Vegetius. And that isn’t an exhaustive list. And you may be wondering: why were sling bullets still being used after the invention of the bow and arrow? Well, ancient sources state that the sling bullet’s main factor in combat was its surprising range. When lobbed high at an angle it could travel 1,300 feet! This just isn’t a range that can be found with arrows.

Generally, in archaeology, sling bullets are not an uncommon find, but I’m still happy to have found this!

Hunter Powell