A new study has revealed a lead projectile from the Hellenistic period that was discovered in the ancient palace in Yavne. The projectile, the rarest of its kind in Israel, may belong to a Greek soldier and bears an inscription in the Greek language which is intended to ensure victory in battle.
The 2,200-year-old projectile, which bears the inscription – “Victory of Heracles and Oronas”, was uncovered in excavations in Yavne, which were carried out for the construction of a new neighborhood, in cooperation with the municipality. It is designed to be fired from a sling device (a kind of rocket launcher), and is 4.4 cm long.
The word “Victory” in Greek on the bullet. Photo: Dafna Gazit, Antiquities Authority
“The pair of gods Oronas and Heracles were considered divine patrons of Yavneh during the Hellenistic period, and this is the first proof of their existence that comes from within the city,” said Professor Yulia Ustinova from Ben Gurion University of the Negev, who deciphered the inscription. “Declaring the future victory of the gods was not a call addressed to the deity, but a threat addressed to the adversaries. The inscriptions conveyed a message of uniting the warriors, scaring the enemy or teaching the magic of the bullet itself, and were also part of psychological warfare.”
“It seems that we will not be able to know for sure if the projectile belonged to a Greek soldier,” say Pablo Betzer and Dr. Daniel Varga, the managers of the excavation on behalf of the Antiquities Authority, “but it is not impossible that it is related to the conflict between the Greeks and the Hasmoneans.” “One can only imagine what he thought and how he felt The same warrior who held the projectile 2,200 years ago, clinging to the hope of divine salvation,” said Eli Escozido, director of the Antiquities Authority.
In September of this year, pottery with opium from 3,500 years ago was discovered in Tel Yehud. The discovery confirmed historical writings and archeological hypotheses according to which opium and its trade played a central role in Near Eastern cultures.