via lamarghe73: Sling Bullets. In classical Greece… | The Last Diadoch.
lamarghe73:
In classical Greece and in Roman times, it was customary for slingers to personalise their sling bullets with taunts or insults. One of the favourites was the Greek word Dexai, for example, which can be translated into “Take that!” or “Catch!”. The Romans were very creative in this regard. Sling bullets have been found on the sites of ancient battlefields, bearing such gems as “In the name of Octavian’s ass” or “Show us your ass” or even depicting stylized male genitalia.
The sling was a humble yet very effective weapon, the sling bullets could travel farther than arrows and cause great physical harm and even death to enemy soldiers. Some were shaped so that they could penetrate armour. The bullets lodged themselves under the skin or in the joints, requiring the help of a physician in order to extract them.
(via theancientworld)
Filed under: antiquities, archaeology, anthropology & sociology, science & technology, weaponry & weapon systems Tagged: archaeology, classical greece, roman empire, sling bullets, weapon systems
